Hyderabad: Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul recently opened up about the infamous 'Koffee with Karan' controversy, describing the interview as a deeply scarring experience.
Rahul and all-rounder Hardik Pandya were invited on the famous talk show in 2019, where the comments made by them sparked widespread criticism. The backlash was so severe that it led the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) to suspend both players after they were called back mid-series from India's tour to Australia.
Speaking on a podcast with Nikhil Kamath on his YouTube channel, the 32-year-old shared how the incident impacted him and changed his outlook on life and cricket.
"I had grown confident after playing for India, but that interview affected me deeply," Rahul revealed.
He also acknowledged that before this, he had never faced suspension, not even during his school years, and was unprepared for the consequences. "I used to handle trolling well, thinking it didn't bother me. But after that interview, everything changed. I was younger then, but the trolling was relentless. No matter what I did, I got trolled," he said.
The right-hand batter, who hails from Karnataka, also talked about how the incident changed his personality. "The interview was a different world. That changed me. Completely changed me. I was a very soft-spoken person growing up. Then I played for India and became very confident. People will know I have been in a room of 100 people," he added.
"Now I don't because that interview scarred me massively. Getting suspended from the team. I have never been suspended in school, punished in school. I don't know how to handle it. I did mischief in schools but nothing to get me expelled from school or my parents have come," he quipped.
KL Rahul will next feature in the prestigious Duleep Trophy 2024 and will aim to make a comeback in the Indian squad for the Bangladesh series after missing out on the majority of the series against England earlier this year at home.
