All eyes will be on KL Rahul after he was selected for Asia Cup 2023 squad. Some of the reports suggest the wicketkeeper batter is still carrying some niggle ahead of India’s first match in the Continental Cup against Pakistan on September 2. While Rahul is not officially ruled out of the first game yet, Ishan Kishan would be readying himself to likely play the blockbuster clash as the wicketkeeper-batter in the side.
Kishan is the second keeper in the Asia Cup squad after he nailed his spot by scoring three consecutive fifties against West in the ODI series. With Samson only as a traveling reserve, Kishan has a golden opportunity to play against Pakistan if Rahul is deemed unfit for India’s first game. Currently, Team India are in Alur for a five-day training camp. All the players have undergone Yo-Yo test, barring Rahul.
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BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that the LSG captain is carrying a niggle unrelated to prior thigh injury he suffered during IPL 2023 season.
KL Rahul: Rohit Sharma, & Dravid to keep a tab on Rahul, Kishan readies himself IND vs PAK clash
For the uninitiated, Rahul’s rehabilitation was going pretty well at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. In fact, the wicketkeeper himself uploaded a lot of videos on social media, indicating his fitness. The 31-year-old also participated in a few practice games at NCA. While NCA doctors and physios are satisfied with his batting fitness, they are still unsure whether he can handle wicketkeeping.
Rohit Sharma and head coach Dravid will observe Rahul closely during the Asia Cup camp at Alur. Meanwhile, Kishan will be gearing up to play the first match of the Continental Cup. However, at what position the southpaw will play is to be looked at. Predominately an opening batter, the 25-year-old has scored one century and six half-centuries in 12 innings.
Kishan was tried in the middle order against New Zealand but failed to even score one fifty. He has an average of just 22 batting at number 5. If the southpaw plays as an opener, then Rohit will have to bat one position down at three, with Kohli and Shreyas Iyer coming in four and five respectively. During the Asia Cup squad announcement, Rohit had stated that every player has to show flexibility in batting at whatever position they play.
