‘Two days after she was born, I had to go play the IPL game’
‘I had not spent any time with her’
In the middle of a standout Test series in England, KL Rahul offered a rare glimpse into his personal life — speaking candidly about fatherhood and the difficult decisions he’s had to make to balance career and family.
KL Rahul got emotional during a heartfelt on-air conversation with former teammate Cheteshwar Pujara, as he opened up about embracing fatherhood and the pain of being away from his newborn daughter, Evaarah, while on national duty.
The moment unfolded on Friday (July 25) during the Sony Sports broadcast of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, where Rahul is in the midst of a stellar Test series in England.
The 32-year-old has scored 421 runs, including two centuries, at an average of 60.14. But off the field, the journey has been far from easy.
Evaarah was born on March 24, just as IPL 2025 was underway. Rahul, who briefly took paternity leave, returned to play for the Delhi Capitals merely two days later — and was soon on a flight to England in early June for the five-Test series.
‘Yeah, it’s a great time in my life for my family,’ Rahul said. ‘I’ve always loved children. I’ve always wanted children for a long time. So, made me and my family really really happy. We’re in a great place. She’s a beautiful little girl. It’s brought so much happiness into our lives.’
Despite the overwhelming joy, Rahul admitted that being away from home during this special phase has been one of the toughest decisions of his career — especially choosing to join the India ‘A’ squad before the Test series.
‘I have done a little bit (father duties), but unfortunately, two days after she was born, I had to go play the IPL game. And I tried in whatever breaks we got during the IPL to go back for a couple of days and then finish the IPL. It was really hard to take that decision to come here and play that India A game as well because I had not spent any time with her and I knew when I came here, I won’t see her for another two months,’ he shared.
The tour is set to conclude on August 4 after the final Test at The Oval. As of now, India have no other international fixtures scheduled in August, giving Rahul a potential window to reunite with his family.
For now, Rahul is leaning on technology — and love from afar — to stay connected with his daughter.
‘There were some really hard decisions that I’ve had to make in the last few months. But yeah, I thought that that was the right thing to do for me professionally and my family’s been really supportive. My wife was very supportive. So, I came here. So, I haven’t seen her and I just keep seeing her pictures and I’m always on the baby camera. Making sure I don’t miss anything or any part of her growth. So, it’s a difficult thing to do when you’re travelling and playing and you miss each day,’ he said.