Having recovered from a quadriceps surgery after hurting his thigh during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in May and a subsequent groin injury that he suffered just before the ongoing Asia Cup, KL Rahul had his first session at the Nondescripts Cricket Club indoor nets in Colombo on Thursday.
Rahul was part of a select group that comprised Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill and Shardul Thakur, who trained under the watchful eyes of head coach Rahul Dravid and batting coach Vikram Rathour even as heavy rain accompanied by winds lashed the Sri Lanka capital in the morning, forcing India to have their optional training indoors.
On Thursday, all eyes were on Rahul, who showed no visible discomfort, and mover his feet well and timed the punches and half-drives to perfection. He began with a few throwdowns and batted in rotation with Iyer. Since there was hardly any space in the indoor facility, Rahul did not don the wicketkeeping gloves.
With the weather threatening a no-show in the Super Four stages, and Rahul hoping to make the most of the opportunities before the ICC World Cup, starting October 5, it will be interesting to see how the right-hander cashes on the opportunities, especially in what could be a challenging return against a high-quality Pakistan side.
And even if the Asia Cup Super Four stage games are washed out, Rahul will have the three-match ODI series against Australia to claim his spot in the Indian line-up at the showpiece event. The Karnataka batter last played an ODI in March.
In his absence, young left-hander Ishan Kishan grabbed the opportunity with both hands against a top quality Pakistan pace attack and scored a fighting half-century to help India recover from a shaky start. And the choice between the Jharkhand lad and the returning Rahul will be a tough one for the team management.
BCCI chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar did not disclose if India would leave out Kishan, who brings in the left-hand factor, for India’s Super Fours clash against Pakistan and said, “The captain-coach will sit down and decide what’s best for the team on a given day. We’re happy to have two options who will fight for a place in the team than the other way round.”