KL Rahul, India’s star wicketkeeper-batter, has opened up about the toll that online trolling and hate have taken on him. Rahul, who has often been criticized for his performances and scoring rates, admitted that while he was initially able to handle the abuse, it eventually began to affect him.
“I used to be good with (handling) trolling. I did not care, but I feel I was much younger back then. And then, a couple of years back, I was exposed to a lot of trolling. If I sat, I got trolled, if I stood, I got trolled,” Rahul said on entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath’s YouTube Channel.
Rahul’s last international appearance was during the ODI series against Sri Lanka, where he scored 31 runs in two innings. Despite a fine ICC Cricket World Cup last year, in which he scored 452 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.33, with a century and two fifties, Rahul was panned for his knock of 66 in 107 balls during the final against Australia, which India lost by six wickets after failing to defend 241 runs against Australia.
In this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Rahul also attracted some criticism for his strike rate despite finishing among top 10 run-getters, with 520 runs in 14 matches at an average of 37.14, with four fifties. His strike rate of 136.12, lower in comparison to veterans like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and younger stars like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Rishabh Pant, etc., was a subject of trolling.
Back in 2019, both Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul were handed suspensions from the national team and fined Rs 20 lakh for Hardik’s misogynist comments in “Koffee With Karan”, before they could return to the team.
While Rahul and Hardik featured in the ICC Cricket World Cup that year and suspension did not last very long, it still had a bad effect on Rahul, who admitted of “never being suspended in school”.
Rahul’s admission highlights the growing problem of online abuse and trolling in sports. Athletes are increasingly subjected to vitriol and hate on social media, which can have a significant impact on their mental health and well-being. It is important to remember that athletes are human beings, and they deserve to be treated with respect.
