In a big blow to Team India ahead of Asia Cup 2023, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has been ruled out of the group stage matches against Pakistan and Nepal in the tournament. Rahul, who has failed to recover from a niggle will be out of the India vs Pakistan contest on September 2 and India vs Nepal clash on September 4, Team India head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed on Tuesday, ahead of the India’s departure for Sri Lanka.
“Both him (KL Rahul) and Shreyas (Iyer) are in same boat. We are slightly cautious approach with KL (Rahul). We are hoping he will only miss first two games and will be available for the latter part of the tour (Asia Cup),” Dravid told the media during an interaction on Tuesday.
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KL Rahul has been ruled out of international cricket with a thigh injury for which he underwent surgery after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper averages 45.13 in ODI cricket with 1,986 runs in 54 matches with 5 hundreds and 13 fifties.
Due to doubts over KL Rahul’s fitness, Sanju Samson has been selected as a travelling reserve for the Asia Cup 2023. With Rahul out for the first two matches, Ishan Kishan will be expected to do wicketkeeping duties in the match against Pakistan and Nepal in Kandy. Kishan was the ‘Player of the Match’ in India’s 2-1 ODI series win over West Indies last month.
However, there was some good news for the Indian team as Dravid confirmed that Shreyas Iyer, who is also returning from injury is shaping up well ahead of the Asia Cup. “He looked pretty good, all about giving him more game time, hopefully it will come in Asia Cup. In terms of fitness, he has done really well, has batted really well, ticked all the boxes,” Dravid said about Shreyas Iyer, who was part of the Team India’s national camp in Alur.
India’s head coach Dravid also confirmed that the doubt over the No. 4 position in Team India line-up has cropped up due to injuries in the side. “We knew 18-19 months back who the candidates are – Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. There was no doubt in our minds. Unfortunate, all three ended up being injured. What are the odds of that (happening)?” Dravid asked.
Dravid was pleased with the return of Jasprit Bumrah in the side, who led the side to a 2-0 T20I series win over Ireland earlier this month. “We have missed Jasprit Bumrah a lot over the past 2 years, hasn’t played a lot. Good to see him back. It does give us more options in pace bowling department especially in a long tournament like World Cup,” Dravid said about Bumrah.
