Rahul’s kin are eager to see him bat
Karnataka batsman parents hope their son bat but not at expense of Indian batting failure
Mumbai: It was a tale of two debutants on the first day of the Boxing Day Test in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday. Joe Burns made his debut for the hosts and the other was India’s Lokesh Rahul.Back home in India, Rahul’s parents in Bengaluru have plans to get up early on Saturday in the hope of watching their son bat but not at the expense of another Indian batting failure.
Rahul’s father Prof. KNL Lokesh said they were expecting their son to play to his potential and added that he had initially planned to name his son Rohan (Sunil Gavaskar’s son). “The name Rahul was very popular at that time. Rahul is also the name of (late) Rajeev Gandhi’s son and I, being a great fan of Gavaskar, wanted to name my son Rohan,” the father said.
The family woke up at 3.30 am on Friday when they heard the news of their son’s debut.“We are very happy with his inclusion in the team. What makes this debut all the more memorable is that it has come in a Boxing Day Test,” the proud father added.