Wicketkeeper-batter K.L. Rahul will miss India’s group stage matches against Pakistan and Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023. Rahul will train at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in a bid to gain full match fitness.
Subject to an assessment on September 4, Rahul could join the squad for the Super Fours stage of the tournament.
“Rahul has had a really good week (in the India camp at Alur grounds). He has trained well, and is progressing very well on the route we want him to take. But he will be unavailable for the Kandy leg of the trip. The NCA will look after him for the next few days while we are travelling. We will reassess on September 4, and take it from there,” Head Coach Rahul Dravid said at the Alur grounds on Tuesday.
Rahul is said to be down with a minor niggle, unrelated to the thigh injury he suffered during the IPL.
Ishan Kishan is available in the squad as a wicketkeeper-batter, while Kerala’s Sanju Samson has been named as a traveling stand-by player.
Dravid insisted that Rahul will get enough match practice before the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which commences in around five weeks.
“It is only two games that he will miss. Both Rahul and Shreyas are in the same boat. It’s a slightly cautious approach with Rahul. Leading into the World Cup, he will have a couple of match simulations which will give him a longer time in the middle. We are hoping that it is only two games that he misses. There is an Australia series as well (three ODIs next month). I’m not too worried. Both Shreyas and Rahul are experienced players. Hopefully, we can give Rahul game time from the Colombo leg (of the Asia Cup),” Dravid said.
India Squad for Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (travelling back-up)
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