KL Rahul's fresh injury adds to India's woes: How Team India can deal with the new problem

KL Rahul is fit to be picked in the Asia Cup 2023 squad but not fit enough to play in India’s Group A games against Pakistan and Nepal. This was declared by head coach Rahul Dravid before Team India left for Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Dravid also added that Rahul would not be travelling with the squad despite being part of it. Instead, he would be staying back at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in order to recover from the niggle that has restricted his comeback.

Rahul has been out of action since IPL 2023 when he suffered a thigh injury while fielding for the Lucknow Super Giants against Royal Challengers. The wicketkeeper-batter in May had surgery on his right thigh and has been at NCA since then to complete his recovery.

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We know that the current niggle he is suffering is not related to the thigh injury. This was confirmed by BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar while he announced the Team India squad for the Asia Cup.

“Rahul, not his original injury but there’s a niggle. We’ll get a report from the physio at some stage but we all expect him (Rahul) to be fit. If not at the start, by the second or third game, but he’s on track,” Agarkar had said.

Dravid on Tuesday also confirmed that the decision on Rahul’s participation in the Asia Cup will be taken on 4 September.

“The NCA will be looking after him for the next few days while we are travelling. We will reassess on the 4th (September) and take it from there. But signs are looking good. He will be unavailable for the first two games,” Dravid said.

This situation has put Indian cricket at a crossroads.

The major worry is whether India should pursue with Rahul as the World Cup is now only 36 days away. How serious is his niggle is something the insiders would only know but if it’s significant enough to stop him from playing despite being in rehabilitation for months, then it looks like a cause for concern.

Rahul has a solid ODI record with 1986 runs in 54 matches at an average of 45.13 and a strike rate of 86.57. He also has five hundreds and 13 fifties to his name.

The bulk of his runs have come as an opener and No 5 batter. He has scored 915 runs in 23 matches as an opener at an average of 41.46 at a strike rate of 80.

At No 5, his record gets even better. He has scored 742 runs as a finisher in 18 matches at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 99.

There’s no one as good as Rahul for No 5 and despite him being a good opener, Team India management wants to play him as a finisher with Shubman Gill currently being the preferred partner for skipper Rohit Sharma at the top.

But if the injury is severe and there’s a risk of things messing up in the future, the wise thing to do will be to look elsewhere.

Doesn’t matter how good a player Rahul is, a less than 100 % fit player for a World Cup is a big risk.

Things are expected to become clearer when NCA would reasses Rahul on 4 September but even if he gets fully fit, India have to play two matches without him.

These two matches can set a template for how India can proceed in case Rahul doesn’t recover in time for the World Cup.

There are various suggestions that Ishan Kishan could be the first choice in the absence of Rahul. However, Kishan has never played as a No 5.

In fact, even at No 4, his numbers are pretty ordinary — 106 runs in six matches at an average of 21.20 and with a strike rate of 67.08.

He is best suited as a top-order player and being a left-hander, he provides variety as well but this close to the World Cup, the idea of promoting him is fraught with risk.

And despite his ordinary numbers, he needs to be in the middle and lower order as India must look to give its top four (Rohit, Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer) a good run of matches going into the World Cup.

Apart from being a No 5 batter, Kishan could also be used as a floater by India.

With him doing well in the top order in the past, Kishan could be sent in early if the situation demands.

After all, captain Rohit had also talked about flexibility in the past.

“One thing I want in this team is to make sure everyone is okay to bat anywhere. That’s one thing we need to keep in mind. You need flexibility, guys who can step up at any position,” Rohit had said a while back.

Another player who can take up the No 5 role is Sanju Samson, who at No 5 has 104 runs to his name in five ODIs at an average of 52 and with a strike rate of 90. At No 6, Samson has scored 180 runs at an average of 90 in four matches and with a strike rate of 117.64.

But currently, he is part of the travelling reserve and behind Kishan in the pecking order. Which means he may have to wait for his opportunity.