A look at the potential lineups that India might use in the first two games despite KL Rahul’s absence from the first two Asia Cup Matches…
What are the possible outcomes for India if KL Rahul is knocked out of the Asia Cup group stage?
Extended batting practice sessions, participation in match simulations, and rigorous wicketkeeping drills all raised hopes that BCCI selector Ajit Agarkar’s statement from a week earlier would prove to be false and that KL Rahul would recover from a recent injury just days before being selected for the Asia Cup and be able to play for India’s XI in the continental competition.
The debate of a Plan B became unimportant because of the widespread perception created by Star Sports’ broadcasts of the Indian training camp in Alur. Agarkar was accurate, though.
Rahul Dravid, the head coach of India, reaffirmed what the chairman of selectors had said in New Delhi a week prior after the camp ended on Tuesday. Despite making progress, Rahul was disqualified from the Asia Cup group matches as a “precautionary” move with the ODI World Cup just one month away.
KL Rahul will head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA)
To be “fully fit” for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup, KL Rahul, who was initially sidelined due to a hamstring injury sustained during the IPL 2024, will not be traveling to Sri Lanka with the Indian team on Wednesday.
Instead, he will go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to work with the physiotherapists. On September 4, the wicketkeeper-batter will also have a fitness evaluation done before a decision is made on his trip to Sri Lanka.
Rahul Dravid reveals Shreyas Iyer will be selected for India’s Asia Cup XI after KL Rahul was disqualified.
After completing their training camp in Alur, Karnataka, on Tuesday, India’s head coach Rahul Dravid announced the same thing before revealing Shreyas Iyer’s tournament availability. The top batter is hoping to return after a protracted injury layoff.
Dravid said that he is “not too concerned about it,” but KL Rahul’s absence raises a few issues and selection difficulties for India’s playing XI for the Asia Cup. Ishan Kishan is India’s like-for-like substitute, which should not cause alarm, but doubts remain over his position in the lineup and the ensuing makeup of the rest of the batting order.
India has three days to decide their starting lineup for Asia Cup 2024
We consider the situations that may occur if Rahul is absent as India has barely three days to decide their starting lineup for the match against Pakistan at the Pallekele International Stadium.
- If Ishan Kishan is the opener, Gill might bat at No. 3, where he has only appeared in four ODIs but has hit 130 against Zimbabwe once. It follows that Shreyas Iyer will either be dropped to make room for a strong No. 5 option in Suryakumar Yadav or bat at that position himself, where he has appeared nine times and amassed three half-centuries. Kohli could then take the No. 4 spot, as recently suggested by people like Ravi Shastri and AB de Villiers. The alternative scenario is that Iyer and Kohli would maintain their positions at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, while Gill would move up to No. 5 to make room for Suryakumar.
- If Ishan Kishan bats in position three, he has already done so four times with two fifty-plus scores. This places Iyer at No. 5 and Kohli at No. 4, respectively.
- If Ishan Kishan bats at position four, he has played there as often as he has opened for India, but with a strike rate of just 21 runs per innings, totaling 106 runs with one half-century. This would suggest that Kohli would keep his normal position and Iyer may bat lower in the order.
- Regarding Sanju Samson what about him: The most difficult decision is whether India would utilise Samson, who was chosen as a travelling reserve with Rahul’s injury in mind, or risk playing Ishan Kishan at No. 5, where he has never batted before. Samson has batted nine times outside the top 4, scoring fifty runs at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively, with averages of 52 and 90.
