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KL Rahul, who was being looked upon as India’s preferred wicketkeeper-batter choice in Asia Cup 2023 and ODI World Cup before a fresh niggle ruled him out of the first two matches of the continental tournament, has reportedly cleared his fitness test and will join his national teammates in Sri Lanka soon. The news comes a day after India’s high-voltage match against Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy in which India won the toss and elected to bat first but Pakistan’s chase couldn’t start due to rain.
India had gone ahead with Ishan Kishan as the preferred wicketkeeper-batter in their Playing XI against Pakistan. The left-handed batter did make the most of his chance in the game and ended up scoring 82 off 81. His knock along with Hardik Pandya’s 87 off 90 ensured that even though India were reeling at 66/4 at one stage, they ended up posting 266. Interestingly, Kishan played at the number 5 position and grabbed his chance with both hands.
As far as Rahul is concerned, he will be available for selection only from the Super Fours stage. A report carried by Rev Sportz has confirmed that he has cleared the fitness test and will travel to Kandy to be with the team. India’s next match is scheduled against Nepal in Kandy on Monday (September 4) in which Kishan will be an automated pick after his performance against Pakistan but it would be interesting to see who the management decides to go ahead with when Rahul is available for selection.
Will they pick a more experienced Rahul who is coming on the back of a long injury layoff or will they choose Kishan who has proven his worth? It would be a good headache for the team management to have but seems like Kishan might be their choice now given that he also provides a left-handed batting option in the middle overs.
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