'He has missed a lot of cricket... lot of question marks now': Scott Styris on KL Rahul

Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris believes that it won’t be easy for KL Rahul to stake his claim back to Team India. Notably, prolific India batter Rahul has been out of action for quite some time due to injury and health issues.

Rahul was last seen in action during IPL 2022 Eliminator on May 25 and after that he was forced to miss India’s five-match T20I series at home against South Africa in June due to a right groin injury, which he suffered on the eve of the first match in New Delhi. Later, Rahul got infected with Covid-19 soon before he was to board the flight to the Caribbean for the T20 series and because of that he missed the series against West Indies and was not named in upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, Styris believes that it will be difficult for Rahul to fit in the team as those who came in as a replacement for the senior cricketer have performed well and made full use of the opportunity.

"It's a different mindset for players because they don't want to be out and they don't want to be giving other players opportunities. I know India has a very good culture within its group, so it doesn't mind allowing other players opportunities all the time. I know as a player myself, you never wanted to give somebody else a chance to take your spot,” Styris said on ‘Sports Over The Top’ show on Sports18.

“So with the fact that he’s out injured and he’s away from the team at the moment, it just means that other players are able to do what Suryakumar is doing, what Rishabh Pant is doing, getting in there, taking the chance scoring runs and really posing the selectors some questions saying, do we actually need KL Rahul?" the former New Zealand cricketer said.

“Is he going to be in good form when he comes back? He has missed a lot of cricket, a lot of question marks now present themselves just because he’s been able to give other players that opportunity," Styris added.

It is worth mentioning that, Rahul is expected to be fit in time for Asia Cup in the UAE, which is scheduled to begin on August 27, while the final of the tournament will be played on September 11. Rahul can also be part of the India squad for the three-match T20I series against Australia and South Africa at home before the start of Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November.

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