IND vs ZIM 2022: “Cannot wait to get out there back in blue” - KL Rahul on not being named in squad for Zimbabwe ODIs
Team India batter KL Rahul shared his thoughts after not being named in the one-day squad for the three-match series in Zimbabwe to be played in August. The 30-year-old clarified that he's nearing full fitness, but a bout of COVID-19 has pushed things back by a couple of weeks.
Having undergone a successful sports hernia surgery late last month, the batter was undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. A few days ago, he even shared a clip on his social media handle, where he was seen undergoing extensive training. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, which ruled him out of the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies.
On Saturday (July 30), the batter took to Twitter and commented on his non-selection for the Zimbabwe tour and shared his fitness status. He posted:
“I wanted to clarify a couple of things about my health and fitness. My surgery in June was successful, and I had begun training with the hope of returning to national duty for the team’s tour of West Indies.”
The elegant stroke-maker added:
“Unfortunately, as I was nearing a return to full fitness, I tested positive for COVID-19. This naturally pushed things back by a couple of weeks, but I aim to recover as quickly as possible and be available for selection as soon as I can. To represent the national team is the highest honour, and I cannot wait to get out there back in blue.”
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Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, who led Team India to a 3-0 series win in the ODIs in the West Indies, has been retained as captain for the one-dayers in Zimbabwe.
While Rahul is unfit, regular captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have been rested again.
KL Rahul’s road to recovery hits bump
A key member of the Indian squad across formats, KL Rahul hasn’t played for the team since the ODI series against the West Indies at home in February this year.
He captained Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL this year and was subsequently named the captain for the five-match T20I series against South Africa at home. However, a day ahead of the series, he was ruled out due to a groin injury.
#TeamIndia for 3 ODIs against Zimbabwe: Shikhar Dhawan (Capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Deepak Chahar.
Fitness issues forced him to miss the entire tour of England as well, and he headed to Germany for surgery.