Asia Cup 2023 IND vs PAK: No guarantee Rahul could be fit later says Kaif

Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has cast doubts over KL Rahul's fitness for the entire Asia Cup

India’s premier batter KL Rahul was supposed to return to international cricket through the Asia Cup 2023. However, he has been ruled out of the first two games and former India batter Mohammad Kaif feels that Rahul’s condition might worsen and he may not be able to take part in the entire tournament.  

Speaking to Star Sports about Rahul’s injury, Kaif said, “This means KL Rahul’s injury could aggravate. If he is unfit now, there is no guarantee that he will be fit after two games.”

Kaif sounded warning bells for Indian fans as injury to Rahul will mean that India will again begin the search for a wicket-keeper who could finish games in Rishabh Pant’s absence. 

“The news is not good for Indian fans because Rahul plays very well at No 5 in ODIs. His stats are very good,” said the 42-year-old. 

Kaif’s assumptions are proved right because Rahul is currently the best number five India have with the wicket-keeper batter scoring 742 runs from 18 innings at an average of 53. 

What are the other options for India?

India have Ishan Kishan in the squad as a wicket-keeper and Sanju Samson as a replacement option in the team. It is most likely that Ishan will be played in the eleven, but in that case, Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer would have to wear the finisher’s shoes. 

Kaif feels that Ishan wouldn’t be able to fit in for Rahul. “He knows how to shift gears, is able to play big shots, and knows how to stabilize innings. You won’t get a replacement even if you play Ishan Kishan. Apart from wicket-keeping, Rahul also provides a finishing touch,” Kaif said.

Samson, primarily a top-order batter, was tried in the middle during the West Indies and the Ireland series but was unable to perform as per expectations in the T20 internationals. However, ODI numbers for Samson are pretty solid. 

With an average of 55.71 in 13 matches, the Kerala batter has scored 390 runs in his ODI career.