India batsman KL Rahul, who doubled up as a wicketkeeper on the tour of New Zealand earlier this year, has opened up about the immense pressure of replacing MS Dhoni in the keeper’s slot, a position that attracts acute scrutiny in India.

“I was nervous when I was doing it for India because of the crowd pressure,” Rahul told Star Sports. “If you fumble a ball, people feel that you cannot replace MS Dhoni. The pressure of replacing a legendary wicketkeeper like Dhoni was immense, as it involved people accepting someone else behind the stumps.”

Rahul has been an occasional keeper in top-flight cricket, acting as a makeshift option under Virat Kohli during the 2016 IPL, when he replaced the injured Kedar Jadhav for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Before the New Zealand series, at the international level, he filled in for an injured Wriddhiman Saha during an India-Sri Lanka Test at Colombo five years ago, although he has been more regular at the domestic level for his state Karnataka.

“People who follow cricket know that I haven’t been away from wicket-keeping for too long, as I donned the gloves in the IPL and every time I played for Karnataka. I am always in touch with wicketkeeping.”

With Rishabh Pant in and out of the team, and the future of MS Dhoni with the Indian team under a thick cloud of doubt, the door is open for Rahul to extended his stint behind the stumps in limited-overs cricket.

“I am also somebody who is more than willing to take up the role if the team needs me to,” he said.