KL Rahul ruled out of first 2 matches in 2023 Asia Cup due to injury

Indian right handed wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul has been ruled out of the first two matches of the 2023 Asia Cup. He will not travel to Sri Lanka with the rest of the team on Wednesday. The BCCI shared a statement by Team India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid on its official Twitter handle.

BCCI quoted,”KL Rahul is progressing really well but will not be available for India’s first two matches—against Pakistan and Nepal—of the Asia Cup 2023.”

UPDATE

KL Rahul is progressing really well but will not be available for India’s first two matches – against Pakistan and Nepal – of the #AsiaCup2023: Head Coach Rahul Dravid#TeamIndia

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 29, 2023

Rahul Dravid confirmed it after the final day of India’s training camp at Alur in Bengaluru. KL Rahul will undergo a fitness assessment before any travel-related calls. He will closely work with the National Cricket Academy’s (NCA) physiotherapists to be fully fit and available for the tournament.

Progressing towards recovery

Dravid said, “The NCA will be looking after him for the next few days while we are traveling.  We will reassess on September 4 and take it from there. But signs are looking good and he’s progressing really well”. Dravid also confirmed that right-handed batter Shreyas Iyer is fit and completed all the assessments during the practice session.

https://t.co/0tLILKFYct pic.twitter.com/PgtiA51m0u

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 29, 2023

Niggle Injury Concerns

Along with the rest of the players, Rahul also attended the six-day fitness and medical camp but couldn’t take the yo-yo fitness test at Alur.
There was always a doubt over the fitness of KL Rahul and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar confided that Rahul had picked up a minor niggle injury. At that time, the NCA medical team was satisfied with Rahul’s batting but was unsure about his wicketkeeping as he complained of soreness after practice games. KL Rahul got injured in the IPL and ever since he has been sidelined.

Wicketkeeping Alternatives
The Indian squad has Ishan Kishan as a wicketkeeping option in the Asia Cup squad, while Sanju Samson will travel as a reserve