Watch: Fit-Again KL Rahul Starts Wicketkeeping At Full Throttle, Shares Video

03.08.2023 - 04:57 sports.ndtv.com

Indian opener KL Rahul, who had suffered an injury during the IPL, has started batting and wicketkeeping practice ahead of the peak cricketing season which will see teams contesting for the Asia Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup titles.

Asia Cup will start on August 30 and will be hosted jointly by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with the majority of matches in the island nation.

ICC Cricket World Cup will be hosted by India from October 5. Rahul, who also captains The Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL), sustained an injury in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 1.

Chasing a ball in the outfield in the second over, he clutched it at his thigh and then limped off the field. Rahul took to Instagram and shared a video of him sweating it out in the nets.

cricket India Cricket Team watch Kl Rahul India Sri Lanka Pakistan

The Asia Cup 2023 squad of the India had two stars returning from injury after a long time - KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. While Rahul has been out of action since May with a thigh injury while Iyer last played an international game in March. Rahul sustained an injury in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 1. He was in rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy. However, with the Asia Cup having a provision to name a 17-member squad, the duo was included for the continental event.

"Not The Original Injury": Why Sanju Samson Was Selected As Asia Cup Back-Up

Rahul and Shreyas Iyer were on Monday named in India's squad for the Asia Cup, beginning August 31 while young batter Tilak Varma earned a maiden call-up to the one-day format. There were question marks over the fitness of Rahul and Iyer, who are making a comeback after undergoing thigh and back surgeries respectively. Iyer last played in March and Rahul in May. Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has been added to the squad as a back-up for Rahul who has developed a niggle recently.

India's Asia Cup 2023 Full Squad: All Players' ODI Performance Since 2022 Decoded

Indian cricket team's Asia Cup 2023 squad was announced by captain Rohit Sharma and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar in a press conference on Tuesday. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer ans Jasprit Bumrah have made a comeback to the squad. However, since Rahul has a niggle, Sanju Samson has been names the back-up player. The Asia Cup, which begins on August 30. India's first match is against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2 in Sri Lanka. The Asia Cup squad holds extra importance as it will more or less give an idea about what the squad for the ODI World Cup 2023 will look like.

"One Position Can't Win Us...": Rohit Sharma Shuts Down Debate Over No. 4 Slot

The debate over who will bat for the Indian cricket at No. 4 dominated headlines in the build up to the squad announcement for Asia Cup 2023. From Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma being considered as valid options to suggestions of playing Virat Kohli at the role, there were no shortage of discussions. The squad was finally announced on Monday and it comprised of multiple options for the middle-order positions but skipper Rohit Sharma made it clear that the debate needs to stop about a particular slot.

Who Can Solve India's No. 4 Conundrum In Asia Cup 2023?

With exactly nine days left for the start of the 2023 Asia Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce India's squad for the event on Monday. The squad announcement will take place during BCCI's meeting in Delhi, with both head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma part of the conversation. From Jasprit Bumrah's comeback in the ongoing T20I series against Ireland, to the fitnes off KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, the management will have plenty of tough calls to make before churning out the strongest-possible squad.

Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson Or KL Rahul - India's Wicket-Keeper Conundrum In Asia Cup 2023

The Indian cricket team squad for Asia Cup 2023 is most likely to be announced on Monday and questions still remain on the choice of wicket-keepers for the competition. Rishabh Pant provided India with a stable option in all three formats but his injury last year has resulted in multiple experiments in hunt for the perfect team composition. While Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson were provided opportunities from time to time, KL Rahul was also tried out as a makeshift option to open up space in the middle-order to play an extra batter in order to stabilise the young core of the team.