KL Rahul is all set to make his return to action after being named in India's playing XI for the blockbuster Asia Cup Super 4 clash against Pakistan in Colombo. Rahul, who has been out of action since May 2023 due to a hamstring issue, replaced Shreyas Iyer in the playing XI, with Jasprit Bumrah also coming in place of Mohammed Shami. This comes after reports emerged that Rahul will replace in-form wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan in the XI. Kishan scored 82 in the group stage match against Pakistan, which was washed out due to rain last week.
At the toss, Rohit confirmed both Rahul and Kishan will play against Pakistan.
"Looking to bat first. There will be a challenge upfront, but the way we guys batted last time around gives us confidence. Every game is important for us, but one thing at a time to focus on. (On rain delays) That's the nature of the sport, it gave us good time to prepare and now we'll look to play well. Two changes - Bumrah is back and one forced change, Shreyas Iyer just got a back spasm so KL Rahul comes in for him," Rohit said at the toss.
Ahead of the start of the Asia Cup, India head coach Rahul Dravid had revealed that Rahul will miss the group stage games against Pakistan and Nepal due to a minor niggle.
However, Rahul joined the team ahead of the Super 4 game.
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj
Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
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