Suniel Shetty revealed his emotional closeness with his son-in-law, Indian cricketer KL Rahul, in his most recent interview. The Bollywood legend revealed that social media attacks targeting Rahul were more damaging to him than the cricketer or his daughter Athiya Shetty, who married Rahul earlier this year. Shetty went on to explain how Rahul deals with haters.
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The response is in advance of the three ODI series that will take place in South Africa. When Rohit Sharma is not available, KL Rahul will captain the team.
Shetty recently stated to ANI:
“The faith of the people in him, the selectors, the faith of the captain, it said it all. It hurts me 100 times more than it would hurt Rahul or Athiya.”
Suniel Shetty
![KL Rahul](https://the100sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2-1024x576.webp)
He also shared how KL Rahul handles trolls:
‘Dad, my bat will talk.’
For those unfamiliar, Rahul was a shining star for the Blue Team in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He’s a right-handed player and scored 452 runs in 10 innings, leaving an impressive average of 75.33. His scores featured one milestone century and two half-centuries. This player also hit a century when playing against Pakistan during the 2023 Asia Cup. All of this happened after a setback, a thigh injury, which benched him during the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier the same year.
“I was his fan” – Suniel Shetty on KL Rahul
![KL Rahul](https://the100sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1-1024x576.webp)
Suniel Shetty stated in an old interview that he was a fan of KL Rahul before becoming his father-in-law. He also praised him with helping him rise through the ranks to play for India. He stated to India Today:
“I don’t know the role of father-in-law. I was his fan. Today, there is a relationship, but I loved Rahul like I do a lot of young talent. I am someone who has always gone to watch young talents perform, even in my prime as an actor. I would go to Wankhade to watch young people play.”
Suniel Shetty
He continued:
“When I saw Rahul play, I thought this kid was good, and then he is from my own backyard, he is from Mangalore. I am someone who is very proud of anything that children from small towns achieve, so I was a fan and today I am his father.”
Suniel Shetty
Suniel Shetty enjoys cricket and frequently participates in the renowned Celebrity Cricket League (CCL).
Rahul is set to play in the upcoming first ODI. It’s between India and South Africa. The venue is New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The match date is December 14.