KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer’s selection was the highlight of India’s Asia Cup 2023 squad announced on Monday (August 21).
Both players underwent surgeries earlier this year, followed by extended rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.
While Rahul and Iyer hold a key for India in the middle-order in ODIs, their inclusion without testing fitness in a match situation is certainly a gamble that the selectors and team management have taken.
In fact, chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed to media while unveiling the squad that Rahul has picked up a fresh injury niggle, which might rule him out of the first few matches of Asia Cup.
India picked Sanju Samson as the back-up wicketkeeper with Agarkar explaining that the former would go as Rahul’s cover.
"Shreyas (Iyer) has been declared completely fit. Rahul has got a niggle. It's not his original injury but that's why Sanju has been picked as backup. We are all expecting him to be fit if not at the start of the Asia Cup then maybe the second or third game. A bit of a setback for Rahul but Shreyas has been declared fully fit, that's good news for us. They are two very important players for us. We still have time. We won't be announcing our World Cup squad before the deadline of September 5," Agarkar told reporters.
"From what we have been told it should not be too bad (in Rahul’s case). We still have one month and a half before World Cup, hopefully, they (Iyer and Rahul) will get enough cricket before that," he added.
Meanwhile, former India all-rounder Madan Lal has expressed his concerns over the selection gamble for a tournament like Asia Cup.
"I don't think the selectors and team management are still sure whether KL Rahul is fit or not. What injury or niggle? They should have specified that. They have kept Shreyas Iyer. There's still no surety about his fitness. They haven't played any competitive cricket. They should have been picked after they had proved their match fitness. Batting in the nets and batting in the middle are two different things," Lal told Aaj Tak.
In India’s Asia Cup 2023 squad, there was a notable omission as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal failed to make the cut, leaving the Men in Blue with only one wrist-spinner in Kuldeep Yadav. Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel are the other spin-bowling options in the squad.
Madan Lal was left surprised by Chahal’s non-selection. "The thing that has surprised me the most is Yuzvendra Chahal's absence. They said there should only be one wrist spinner. Chahal is a genuine wicket-taker and a match-winner. His absence was surprising. Yes, Akshar Patel has done really well in the last two-three years. I'm not criticising him but you have Ravindra Jadeja to do what he does. You need wicket-takers if you want to win matches. Apart from Chahal's absence and the inclusion of unfit players, the squad was largely on the expected lines," he remarked.
