Asia Cup 2023: KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer unlikely to be available due to fitness issues; eye ODI World Cup return

The Indian pair of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are likely to miss the upcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka as the tournament comes too early for them. According to reports surfacing on Thursday, August 3, the duo is unlikely to be fully fit for the continental showpiece and won’t be considered as the deadline to announce the squad nears. However, both Rahul and Shreyas will look to make the ODI World Cup squad as the deadline to announce the squad for that event nears.

Rahul, Shreyas to miss Asia Cup

The Asia Cup 2023 will come too early for both batters, as per a report by Cricbuzz. They have been struggling with injury for a long time and recently posted rehabilitation videos on social media. Iyer missed the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) while Rahul missed the last leg of the premier competition. Iyer was set to lead Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL but injuryruled him out. Nitish Rana would then lead the KKR side in Shreyas’ absence from the squad. Iyer last played for India in the Test series against Australia in March at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Rahul was supposed to be in contention as well for the Asia Cup, but according to the latest National Cricket Academy (NCA) report, the continental showpiece comes early for him. Rahul’s absence will be a major blow for Team India. Although he has not been ruled out of the World Cup yet, his missing the Asia Cup could have big consequences on India’s batting line-up for the World Cup. He last played for India in March during the ODI series against Australia.

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Consequence during the World Cup

If Rahul is ruled out of the World Cup, India will be left with no option butto field Ishan Kishan in the Playing XI. Currently, Rishabh Pant is not in contention for a return to the national side, while KS Bharat, the only other wicketkeeper option, is not beingfavoured for the ODI side. Rahul, who is India’s wicket-keeping option for World Cup, will need a timely recovery.

In the case of Rahul’s absence, Ishan remains the only viable option to feature with the gloves and has been a constant feature in the team.

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