Ex-India cricketer’s big take on KL Rahul: ‘He should play domestic cricket first'

KL Rahul has been out of the Indian Cricket squad with a thigh injury which he suffered in a game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore during the last season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 31-year-old is right now undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. According to media reports, Rahul is expected to start his training soon. Former Indian cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has now shared his opinion on Rahul’s comeback. “He should be made to play domestic cricket to assess his match fitness and batting form. Getting back into the Indian team should not be so easy, you bat in the nets and ready for international competition,” the legendary India spinner tweeted.

Lucknow’s IPL 2023 journey

Lucknow Super Giants had to suffer due to KL Rahul’s injury during the last season of the IPL. Lucknow reached the playoffs having finished their league stage campaign at the third spot. But Lucknow’s journey in IPL 2023 came to an end in the Eliminator after an 81-run defeat to Mumbai Indians. Rahul could manage to register 274 in nine matches at an average of 34.25 in IPL 2022. He succeeded in claiming two half-centuries last season. The former India vice-captain has been going through a rough patch in recent times and has not been able to perform consistently at the highest level.

Performance against Australia

KL Rahul last played for India earlier this year in March against Australia during the third ODI. Rahul had scored 32 off 50 balls in that game. Team Indian fell short of the target by 21 runs against the Aussies in that encounter. Rahul has not played international cricket since then and he also missed the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia due to his fitness issues.

Rahul’s direct return to the international side cannot be ruled out at the moment. With Rahul missing the West Indies tour, the Indian Cricket Team will need their star-studded batting unit to come up with a stellar show against the Caribbean opponents. Apart from Rahul, the Indian cricket team will be without Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah during their tour of West Indies.