New Delhi: Opening up on his equations with his son-in-law, star India batter KL Rahul, actor Suniel Shetty said he shares a very healthy bond with him.
In a free-wheeling conversation with ANI, the actor, when asked if it hurts him when the cricketer, who has led India in both the red-ball and limited-overs formats, faced trolling on social media during his lean phase with the willow, said, “It hurts me more than probably it hurts Rahul.”
Shetty revealed that his son-in-law told him to stop reacting to all the negativity, saying, “He said ‘Dad my bat will talk’. And, it did.”
After battling indifferent form and failing to produce enough big runs with the bat, Rahul, returning from a long spell on the sidelines through injury, came into his own in the World Cup earlier this year.
Taking on his new role of a wicketkeeper-batsman as a duck takes to water, KL let his bat do the talking, emerging as the eighth-highest run-getter in the tournament with 452 runs in 11 matches at an average of 75.33 and a best innings of 102 against the Netherlands. Apart from the ton, he also had two half-centuries against his name in the tournament.
Despite returning from the long injury lay-off, Rahul showed sparkling form behind the wickets, making good collections and coming up with some spectacular catches across the tournament.
“The faith of the people in him, the selectors, the faith of the captain, it said it all. It hurt me 100 times more than it would have hurt Rahul, Athiya or anybody else. As parents, we go through even more than what the kids would go through,” the actor added.
Saying that he is an ardent admirer of Rahul’s batsmanship and one of his biggest cheerleaders, Shetty added, “I have always been a huge fan of his and loved watching him play. I have always loved Rahul for the way he plays. He may be my son but I am still his fan.”
The actor revealed further that he brings his superstitions to the fore whenever India plays, adding that he watched all of India’s World Cup matches in a room with his wife Mana Shetty.
The actor said he watched all of India’s matches sitting on the floor.
Also, weighing in on India’s World Cup campaign, Shetty said, “They were a masterclass in team spirit. For me, today Rohit Sharma is probably where Dhoni stands because everything that he (Rohit) did was selfless. It was for the team. All of them whether it’s Rohit, Shubhman, Surya or Virat coming back after so many years, you can’t ask for a better team. It was just one bad day in 45.”
India stormed into the final after going unbeaten in the league and knockout phases but came horribly unstuck against five-time champions Australia in the title clash.
Cricketer KL Rahul and Athiya exchanged vows on January 23, 2023, at Suniel’s farmhouse in Khandala.
The actor is known for his performances in films like ‘Mohra’, ‘Border’, ‘Dhadkan’, ‘Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar’, ‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Phir Hera Pheri’, among others.
He will be next seen in the comedy ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ alongside Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, and Raveena Tandon.