Former chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth came down heavily on the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel for including an ‘unfit’ KL Rahul in the Asia Cup 2023 squad. KL Rahul suffered a hamstring injury during IPL 2023 and had to undergo surgery. Following the surgery, he has been recovering at the NCA. However, just when it seemed he will be at his 100% fitness, he suffered a niggle.
But overlooking his current unfit status, Indian selection panel included KL Rahul in the squad for Asia Cup 2023. They also instantly ruled him out of the match against Pakistan for ‘carrying a niggle’.
“It’s being said that KL Rahul has a niggle. If you have a niggle, don’t pick him in the squad. If a player is not fit during selection, you shouldn’t pick him. That was our policy,” Kris Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel.
What happened to Rahul?
Although Rahul received a green signal from the NCA which led to the selectors announcing their name as part of the Asia Cup squad, chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed during the press conference on Monday in New Delhi that Rahul has developed a fresh injury setback over the last few days which could see him miss the group stage of the Asia Cup.
This move infuriated the former batting legend, who took to YouTube to criticize the selectors’ decision.
What did Srikkanth say?
Srikanth further said that if Rahul was selected keeping the World Cup in mind, he should have been selected for the World Cup itself after being fully fit.
“On the day of selection, if a player is not fit, don’t select him. If you want to pick him for the World Cup, select him for the World Cup. That’s a different issue. Now they are saying that he might play after a couple of matches and that’s why we have picked Sanju Samson as a travelling reserve. What’s all this,” Kris Srikkanth questioned.
India start their Asia Cup 2023 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 02 before facing Nepal two days later. KL Rahul is expected to return to the team after the group stage matches.
KL Rahul Injury Timeline
- November 2021 – Thigh Strain: KL Rahul was ruled out of the two-match Test series against New Zealand in November due to a left thigh strain.
- February 2021 – Hamstring: KL Rahul missed the T20 series against West Indies after suffering a left hamstring injury.
- February 2021 – Hamstring: He failed to recover in time and missed the T20 against Sri Lanka.
- March 2021 – Hamstring: The hamstring injury also ruled him out of the Test series against Sri Lanka.
- January 2021 – Wrist: KL Rahul missed the Test series in Australia after suffering a wrist injury during practice.
- June 2022 – Groin: KL Rahul missed the South Africa series and England tour with a persistent groin injury.
- May 2023 – Thigh: Rahul missed IPL 2023, World Test Championship Final 2023 and India tour of West Indies after suffering an injury on May 1.
- July 2023: On track to recovery, starts batting and keeping practice at the NCA.
- August 2023: KL Rahul faces a setback in recovery and fails a fitness test. His setback is termed as niggle. But he makes it to the Asia Cup 2023 squad. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar claims he is doubtful for the first two games of Asia Cup.
- September 2023: Returns to Team India XI for IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 clash.
India Asia Cup 2023 Squad
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
