Indian Key batter Virat Kohli may have to sacrifice his number three position for the upcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.
Veteran Batter Virat Kohli might have to sacrifice his position of batting for the upcoming Asia Cup 2024 if KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer do not get fit. Virat Kohli might have to bat at number four as the team will have to play Ishan Kishan and Shubhman Gill.
If KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer do not get fit before the world cup then Ishan Kishan might open with captain Rohit Sharma with Shubhman Gill batting at number three which slides Virat Kohli to bat at number four.
Can KL Rahul be Available for the Asia Cup?
KL Rahul suffered from a hamstring injury during IPL 2024 in the match against RCB. he had his surgery in London and is currently at NCA for his rehabilitation.
If KL Rahul gets fit before the Asia Cup, he will add the required balance to the Indian squad as he can bat in the middle order and keep wickets as well. As per the recent reports, Kl Rahul has started batting and keeping wickets well in NCA (National Cricket Academy).
The medical team and coaches at NCA are satisfied with the fitness of KL Rahul, Times of India reported. Asia Cup Squad is yet to be announced by BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and is to be expected by Monday.
What is the expected Squad of Team India? Where Will Virat Kohli Play?
Captain Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan are likely to open the innings for India. With Shreya Iyer being unavailable for the Asia Cup, Shubhman Gill is likely to play as a number three. Virat Kohli might sacrifice his position and will play at number four.
Hardik Pandya is expected to play at the number five position and the Indian team is expected to play Suryakumar Yadav as the number six for his T20-hitting abilities, followed by tailenders. There is a big headache for selectors as they have to decide batting position of KL Rahul if he gets available.
What do the stats say? Who actually deserves to play?
There have been many debates around the opening pair of the Indian Team. Indian selectors have to choose between Ishan Kishan and Shubhman Gill to open with Rohit Sharma. According to recent form, Ishan Kishan is likely to open the innings with the captain as Shubhman Gill had an off series except for his innings in the third ODI.
Many fans are raising questions over the selection of Shikhar Dhawan. Shikhar Dhawan has joint most fifty-plus scores for India in ODIs since the 2019 ODI world cup scoring 12 half-centuries. He hasn’t played as many matches as other players still he holds the record for joint most fifties along with Shreyas Iyer who is currently healing.
Another headache for selectors is choosing the bowlers for the playing eleven for the Asia Cup and the World Cup. With Indian Pace attack leader Jasprit Bumrah making a comeback in Ireland series. The expected pace bowling lineup includes Jasprit Bumrah, Mohommad Shami, and Mohommad Siraj. The first-choice spinner will be Kuldeep Yadav who has 48 wickets in ODIs since the 2019 ODI world cup, which leaves out Yuzevendra Chahal.
This will leave out Shardul Thalur and Karnataka pace bowler Prasidh Krishna. Prasidh Krishna who has an excellent record in ODIs may have to sit out. Golden hand Shardul Thakur who is called by ‘Lord Thakur’ by his fans is known for breaking the partnerships. He has an excellent record of taking the most wickets for India since the 2019 ODI world cup. He has taken 52 wickets in this format.
The squad for the Asia Cup will probably be announced on Monday which will declare the final squad.
