3 reasons why India are much stronger with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer's comebacks in Asia Cup 2023
One of the major takeaways from Team India's 2023 Asia Cup squad was the return of middle-order batters KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. The Men in Blue were severely lagging in the department in the duo's absence over the last couple of months.
Shreyas last played in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series with his recurring back injury before ultimately settling for surgery. The process ruled the right-handed batter from the 2023 Indian Premier League (WTC) and the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.
Rahul, on the other hand, sustained a serious injury while fielding in the IPL and was ruled out midway through the tournament. He missed the WTC fInal as well as India's all-format tour of the West Indies. His presence in the squad solves two major problems - wicketkeeping as well as the No. 5 issue.
Team India's full squad for the 2023 Asia Cup
Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.
It was clear that India needed some reliable reinforcements in the middle order and the constant chatter emphasizing that singular point proves the same.
On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why India are much stronger with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer's comebacks in Asia Cup 2023.
#1 Experienced and tested candidates in the middle order brings stability
The instability in the middle order, particularly in the No. 4 spot has been a plaguing issue since the 2019 World Cup. However, looking from a statistical point of view, the duo of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are head and shoulders above the rest with enough sample size.
Injuries and workload management have prevented them from playing more matches, but they have done their part whenever required. Shreyas has been a certified No. 4 batter since his debut while KL Rahul's stint at No. 5 has been a demotion that has turned into a blessing.
Shreyas has 20 innings at No. 4 under his belt, scoring 805 runs at an average of 47.35 and a very healthy strike rate of 94.37. Rahul, on the other hand, has an average of 53 while batting 18 innings at No. 5.
#2 Major improvements from Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson
The home series against Australia before the World Cup and the West Indies tour were golden opportunities for Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson to show their worth in the absence of the injured duo.
However, Suryakumar recording three successive ducks and chipping in with poor scores in the West Indies ODIs has only hurt his case. His place in the squad is arguably hanging by a thread.
Samson, on the other hand, performed well as a finisher for a brief period last year. Despite his overall numbers being good in the format, he has not convinced fans and management that he is capable of locking down the position for a while. Yes, the sporadic nature of his opportunities has certainly not helped his case and rhythm, but in the case of survival of the fittest, it all comes down to impact.
Samson's inconsistency, coupled with his erratic nature of losing his wicket after forging a start, does not augur well with the management's vision of an ideal No. 4 or No. 5 batter.
The recent set of performances only proves to show how team India sorely missed Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in the playing XI.
#3 Calm at the crease and excellent players of spin
Tournaments have never been India's forte in the recent past. Despite heading into almost each and every event as favorites, Team India have faltered when it comes to execution and seizing moments.
In such events, India need calmness more so than anything, because talent is clearly not the issue. Calmness leads to better decision-making as well, whether it be on the field or off it.
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are very calm presences on the field, which also led them to captaincy gigs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well, among other traits. Like Rohit Sharma stresses that the team needs to win even in situations like 10-3, these are the ideal candidates for situations and when the stakes are high.
The first ODI against Bangladesh in December 2022 and the first ODI against Australia in March 2023 are great examples of how Rahul operates in the middle order in pressure situations.
Shreyas and Rahul even shared a memorable 136-run partnership in the first ODI against New Zealand in 2020. That is the template and the standard that they have set.
Additionally, playing at No. 4 and No. 5 in the subcontinent means that such batters will have to primarily operate in the middle overs. Considering that the Asia Cup is taking place in Sri Lanka, spinners will thrive from overs 11-40. Rahul and Shreyas have shown that they are able players of spin and that is a great trait to have at this point in time.
Does the return of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer make Team India outright favorites at the 2023 Asia Cup? Let us know what you think.