KL Rahul is on road to be fully fit; could be available for Asia Cup, ODI WC

BENGALURU: Amidst the uncertainty over KL Rahul's availability in India's squad for the upcoming big events like Asia Cup and ODI World Cup, sources have told IANS that the wicketkeeper-batter is on the road to be fully fit and could be available for the big-ticket competitions taking place in next few months.

Rahul has been out of action since being injured during his team Lucknow Super Giants' match in IPL 2023 against Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 1, after clutching his right thigh and then limping from the field while chasing the ball to stop a boundary in the second over.

Though he came out to bat at number eleven, he didn't score any runs on facing three deliveries during that match.

It was later revealed on May 5 that Rahul has suffered a significant tear to his tendon in the right thigh and will undergo a surgery for the same. After that, Rahul has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to recover from the injury.

"He's on his way to be properly fit and could be available for the Indian team's upcoming matches. Previously, people had said that he wasn’t close to resuming batting in the nets, but he was seen batting at the same day. He is on the way to be fit and maybe, he will be available now," a source privy to the development told IANS.

Recently, through his social media accounts, Rahul had posted images and videos of himself resuming batting and keeping practice. On July 21, the BCCI had said in a medical update that the right-handed batter has resumed batting in the nets and is undergoing strength and fitness drills at the NCA.

But if sources are to be believed, a fully fit Rahul means he can be drafted into India's squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, set to be played from August 30 to September 17. He can then be seen in action in India's three ODIs against Australia later in September and the Men's ODI World Cup at home from October 5 to November 17.

Rahul's availability will be a huge boost for India in the middle-order, a role where he has thrived in the format since 2020. With the experiments of trying Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav not yielding desired results in the ODI series against West Indies, Rahul's return as a batter-keeper will give much-needed solidity and experience to India's middle-order.