After his breathtaking 137-run innings in the second innings of the Headingley Test against England, KL Rahul spoke about his struggles in red-ball cricket openly, admitting that it has been painful to see a Test average less than 35. But, despite some problems personally, Rahul has moved his mindset from thinking about numbers to thinking about playing with purpose and playing with passion. 

"It's painful to see my average," Rahul admitted at the end of Day 4. "But at this stage of my career, I don't want to worry about stats. I want to try and make a difference when I get the opportunity and go out and enjoy my Test cricket for India. It's something I have always loved playing, and I want to keep doing it." The 33-year-old's comments came off the back of a vital innings where he and Rishabh Pant compiled 195 together to give England a tough target of 371 to chase in the fourth innings.

Rahul's century was particularly special given the criticism that he had recently received for not converting starts. He enjoyed multiple solid innings throughout the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Still, he was consistently falling short of three figures. He had made a fluent 42 in his first innings at Headingly before being dismissed too early. However, in the second innings, we saw Rahul a little more patient and composed in his batting. He looked determined to respond to the critics through his performance rather than in his words.

KL RAHUL ABOUT HIS TEST AVERAGE:

"it hurts when I look at my average but at this stage, I don't want to think about numbers. I want to make an impact whenever I get a chance & enjoy playing Test cricket for India. It's what I grew up loving". pic.twitter.com/y21IOsjtaV

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 24, 2025

Also read:  WATCH: KL Rahul reflects his views on batting performance of Rishabh Pant in first ENG vs IND Test match

Going Back to the Basics: Rahul on Abhishek Nayar

Rahul attributed what he felt was a turn of sorts in his batting form to going back to the "basics" and working with former assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. "In the last 15-18 months I have spent a lot of time with Abhi," Rahul said. "There was a phase when I started thinking about quality, not quantity, and didn’t hit enough balls; now I’m really enjoying long sessions and working hard, and I am confident in my game again." 

The Headingley century was not only a landmark but also a mental victory for Rahul—it reassured him that form can fade, but class and commitment will stay. Now with this clarity of thought, Rahul is now continuing to show why he deserves to open for India in red-ball cricket.