‘You can’t take chances with Rahul in WC. He’s not playing any game before September 5’: Gavaskar’s hard-hitting remark
The equation for the playing XI would have been simple for India with their two star batters in KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer returning after a long injury lay off. Having proven their fitness through match simulation and practice matches, the pair made the Asia Cup team in the nick of time but BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that Rahul incurred a fresh niggle and might miss the first two matches of the continental event. And even though he showed improvements in the six-day training camp that India held in Alur before the Asia Cup, with intense batting and wicketkeeping sessions, as a “precautionary measure”, Rahul’s departure with the team for Sri Lanka was delayed. While Rahul Dravid assured that it wasn’t a big headache for the Indian team, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar pointed out a hard-hitting reality.
Sunil Gavaskar has his say on KL Rahul missing out the first two matches of 2023 Asia Cup
Rahul stayed back in India and headed to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru to work on his fitness again. There will be a fitness yet again, on September 5, before a call is taken on his participation in Asia Cup.
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Dravid, during the presser earlier this week, revealed that with the remainder of Asia Cup and the home series against Australia, Rahul will have even time to gear up for the World Cup, but Gavaskar, in conversation with India Today admitted that it will be a tricky situation for the selectors to put their bets on the batter for the ODI event next month at home. The former India captain admitted that despite Rahul being a “classy” player, it would be risky to pick a player who will not have a single game time a month before the kick off to the World Cup.
“You know, mostly, I think the fact that he’s not gone is possibly because of the fact that he wants treatment to be continued at the hands of the same physios who have been treating him at the NCA. But then, yes, I think it’s a tricky situation because if he’s not playing any game before the 5th of September, how do you assess his situation? Because practice match is one thing and match fitness is another thing. So, I think it’s gonna be a tough call for the selection committee,” he said on the eve of India’s Asia Cup opener against Pakistan at the Pallekele International Stadium.
“But maybe, you might get the answer in the first two matches itself. In which case, you might have to look beyond Rahul, but that’s gonna be sad, but that’s the reality.”
“Because you can’t take chances with him. I’m all for taking him because of the fact that he’s always been a classy player. But if it is not going to be seen in a match situation, before the World Cup squad is announced, I think it is going to be tough for him to be in the World Cup squad,” said Gavaskar.
In Rahul’s stead, India will go in with Ishan Kishan, the only other wicketkeeper-batter in the squad in the match against Pakistan on Saturday with Sanju Samson as the reserve option.
