KL Rahul who was included in the squad for the Asia Cup, has remained unavailable for the first two matches of the tournament. He will be absent from the Group Matches against Pakistan and Nepal.
Therefore Ishan Kishan must be considered as a keeper batsman for the Indian team. Sanju Samson is also available but Kishan might be given preference due to his great form in the ODI.
Through twitter, BCCI revealed, “KL Rahul is progressing really well but will not be available for India’s first two matches – against Pakistan and Nepal – of the AsiaCup 2023: Head coach Rahul Dravid.”
UPDATE
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 29, 2023
KL Rahul is progressing really well but will not be available for India’s first two matches – against Pakistan and Nepal – of the #AsiaCup2023: Head Coach Rahul Dravid#TeamIndia
KL was in Bengaluru along with other Indian players who are into the squad of Asia Cup. There he attended the six day medical camp and fitness programme but didn’t take part in the yo-yo test.
Rahul got injured during the IPL match where he injured his thigh. After that he goes for a thigh surgery. And was in recovery stage and still needed little time more to get 100% fit and available for the remaining matches in the Asia Cup.
During an interview on Tuesday, Rahul Dravid (head coach) says, “He (KL Rahul) has had a good week with us, really trained well, he is progressing well on the route we want to take but he will be unavailable for the Kandy leg of the trip. The NCA (National Cricket Academy) will be looking after him for the next few days while we are travelling. We will reassess on the 4th and then take it out there. But the signs are looking good and he is progressing well.”