Coming back from injury, Indian wicketkeeper and batter KL Rahul joined Team India squad in Sri Lanka ahead of the first match of Super 4 stage in Asia Cup 2023. India play Pakistan on September 10 at Colombo followed by matches against Bangladesh and defending champions Sri Lanka. Rahul had hurt his thigh so bad during a game in Indian Premier Legaue, that he had to stay out of action for more than four months. He underwent an operation in London after which he rested for a while before beginning his rehab at National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Some days before the squad for the Asia Cup 2023 was to be picked, Rahul was back in the nets, doing some light batting practice. He also featured in a friendly match in Bengaluru in which Shreyas Iyer also played. Both the comeback men Iyer and Rahul got picked in the Asia Cup squad. However, on the day India were to leave for the tournament in Sri Lanka, head coach Rahul Dravid told the press that Rahul will still remain at NCA and only after clearance of the medical team that he will join India in Sri Lanka. The doubts over his fitness remained as Rahul missed the first two matches for India in the Asia Cup, against Pakistan and Nepal respectively.
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India have managed to enter the Super 4 stage thanks to a 10-wicket (DLS) win over Nepal and the rain-marred game against Pakistan, from which the Men In Blue got 1 point each.
Rahul flew to Sri Lanka on September 5 and just the next day, he has hit the gym. Indian cricket team shared a video of Rahul sweating it out in the gym. They captioned the video as: "Back and ready to hit the ground running."
Watch Rahul train in the gym here:
The Indian management will have to take a brave call ahead of the India vs Pakistan match. Should they play Rahul or should they stick to in-form Ishan Kishan? Not to forget, Kishan struck a brilliant 82 when India played Pakistan on September 2. Kishan has struck four consecutive fifties now and has one even while batting at No 5, the position that Rahul had made his own in the last one year. Will the management trust Rahul to continue to do the job at the expense of an in-form wicketkeeper and batter? That remains a key question to answer for Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma.
