"He will be unavailable for the first part" - Rahul Dravid confirms KL Rahul's absence for 2023 Asia Cup group stage
Team India wicketkeeper KL Rahul will be unavailable for the Kandy leg of the 2023 Asia Cup campaign, which involves group-stage clashes against Pakistan and Nepal. Head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed during a press conference that the right-handed batter, whose progress is being overseen by the National Cricket Academy (NCA), will be reassessed again on September 4.
India's selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar had mentioned during the Asia Cup squad announcement that the keeper-batter was carrying a small niggle. That was expected to make him miss a couple of matches at the start of the tournament in Sri Lanka.
In the absence of Rahul, the Men in Blue have Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson as alternative choices for the wicketkeeper position.
Dravid stated that KL Rahul has been playing well over the course of the camp in Alur.
"He has had a really good week here with us, trained well, done a lot of good things so he is progressing really well, the route that we wanted to take. But he will be unavailable for the first part, the Kandy leg of the trip. The NCA will be looking after him while we are travelling," Dravid told reporters.
"We will reassess on the 4th, and then take it from there. But the signs are looking really good, and he is progressing really well," he added.
KL Rahul last played for India during the bilateral ODI series prior to the commencement of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). He subsequently underwent surgery for the injury that he sustained midway through the IPL season while leading the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
"I am not worried about KL and Shreyas, they are experienced players" - Rahul Dravid
The return of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer to the ODI setup comes at a great time for Team India, as they have been struggling with their second-choice players in the middle order.
Rahul and Iyer had to prove their fitness to the selectors before the squad announcement. They are on course to seize the middle-order spots until the World Cup and beyond.
Dravid added that the wicketkeeper will undergo match simulation practice in the coming days as Team India prepare to depart for Sri Lanka.
"From our perspective, it is just two less games that KL Rahul will miss. Both him and Shreyas are in the same boat. I mean, KL is batting really well, he is playing well, keeping well, doing everything well. It is just a slightly more cautious approach that we are taking with him leading into the World Cup, he will have a few match simulations over the course of the coming days," he said.
"We are hoping that it will just be the two matches that he will be missing. I am not worried about KL and Shreyas, they are experienced players," he continued.
Team India are primed to leave for the tournament on August 30, and will begin their campaign with a clash against Pakistan at the Pallekele International Stadium on September 2.