Why is KL Rahul not playing today’s Asia Cup 2023 match vs Pakistan?

KL Rahul, India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batter, will not feature in their opening match of Asia Cup 2023 against Pakistan. The Karnataka-born batter has not yet recovered from an undefined 'niggle' he suffered a few days ago.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed before the tournament that he has recovered from the thigh strain he suffered during the IPL 2023 after undergoing surgery but picked up another injury during rehab.

Head coach Rahul Dravid then recently said he's not 100 percent fit for the Asia Cup and would stay at the National Cricket Academy for a few more days.

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"He has had a really good week with us here. He has done training and is progressing really well on the route that we want to take. But he will be unavailable for the first part, for the Kandy leg of the tournament," Dravid said in a press conference on August 29 in Bengaluru.

"The NCA will be looking after him while we are traveling. We will re-assess on the 4th and take it from there. But the signs are really good. He will be unavailable for the first 2 games. But we will re-assess on the 4th and take it from there," Dravid added.

Dravid also hinted that the Lucknow Super Giants captain will slot straight into the team once he recovers. This was because he had almost sealed the No.5 by scoring 742 runs at an average of 53, with a century and seven fifties.

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Who has replaced KL Rahul in India's playing 11?

Although India took Sanju Samson with the team as a backup for Rahul, they have chosen to replace him with Ishan Kishan. The left-handed batter doesn't have much experience of playing in the middle order and has just played 10 matches without much success.

India's 11: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj.

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