Indian cricketer KL Rahul in a podcast on Nikhil Kamath’s YouTube channel, which also hosted Kirti Sanon & Badshah, recently opened up about brief nature of an athlete’s career and his thoughts on retirement.
Amidst his struggle with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and facing challenges securing a spot in the Indian cricket team, Rahul has recently reflected on planning for life post-retirement.
Further, he also shared his perspective on the limited duration of an athlete’s career, revealing he can already see the “end of the tunnel.”
Talking about athlete’s shelf life, Rahul said “There is no insecurity, but there is a feeling that all this ends, and for me it ends very quickly….If you are fit enough, you can play till 40. That is the maximum someone has played. Yes, there is MS Dhoni, who is 43 and is still playing. You can play the IPL and all of that, but not at the international level for too long. There is a fear and realization that the shelf life is really small for an athlete, and you need to make the most of it within whatever time you have.”
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KL Rahul On Hitting 30
Later, he described, that how turning 30 brought a new sense of awareness in him. Talking about him hitting 30, he said ‘For me, the anxiety was when I hit 30. I could see the end of the tunnel. Till I was 29, I could not see that. Some weird thing happened on my 30th birthday.’
Further, he revealed, that he has now 10 more years to play cricket. ‘
‘I could see I have 10 more years to play cricket, and that gave me anxiety, and that is the first time I felt like ‘This comes to an end at some point.’ All I have done all my life is ‘Cricket, Cricket, Cricket,’ without imagining this comes to an end. Now I can see it. It is not too far away.’ said KL Rahul.
What Will KL Rahul Do, If he Retires?
Meanwhile, Rahul also spoke about his efforts to prepare for retirement by exploring business ventures and investments.
“I don’t know. That is part of the reason I have started thinking about businesses and investing my money right. So that my life after cricket is taken care of. I know there will be a huge dip in the amount I earn after I retire. COVID for me happened at the right time where it gave me time to sit and research how I can invest my money. You generally lean on your family to guide you when you start earning, but I did not have that. All this is new for my father too.” said KL Rahul.
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What’s the Indian Player’s Plan?
Talking about his life post-retirement, he revealed ‘I have some good friends who gave me guidance. I am trying to set up a few things before I retire so that when I retire that transition from an athlete to doing something in business will be smooth and make me happier than not knowing what to do.’
