'It’s for my daughter': KL Rahul opens up on the heartfelt meaning behind his celebration

KL Rahul has finally lifted the lid on the story behind his much-talked-about “whistle celebration,” revealing that it was actually a heartwarming gesture for his daughter, Evaarah. Speaking on the 2 Sloggers YouTube show, the India star explained that many people had misunderstood the gesture.

“It’s not a whistle celebration. My daughter does this,” he said with a smile. “Babies usually suck their thumbs, but she sucks her fingers, so it was for her.” During the same chat, Rahul also spoke candidly about his composed on-field personality and how he deals with emotions. While he is often seen as calm and unflappable, Rahul admitted that he does experience anger but prefers to keep it hidden. “It comes out honestly, but I hide it well.

I am calm compared to others, maybe one or two out of ten, but I do get angry. Whenever I show anger on the field, my mother calls me and asks, ‘What are you doing?’ That’s why I don’t show much anger,” he shared.Also Watch:

Rahul has been one of India’s most reliable all-format players in recent years. In Test cricket, he enjoyed a stellar run during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, scoring 532 runs as an opener at an average of 53.2.

He followed it up with a century in the first Test and an unbeaten 58 in the second against the West Indies at home.

In ODIs, KL Rahul has cemented his place as India’s most dependable middle-order batter and the team’s first-choice wicketkeeper. Interestingly, since

Gautam Gambhir

took over as head coach, Rahul has been batting at No. 6, while Axar Patel has been promoted to No. 5 to maintain a left-hand and right-hand combination in the batting order.However, Rahul’s T20I career has been on pause since the 2022 World Cup semi-final against England, his last appearance in the shortest format. Despite being out of India’s T20 setup, he has continued to thrive in franchise cricket. Representing Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, Rahul produced a standout season, scoring 539 runs at an average of 53.90 and a strike rate of 149.72.