K.L. Rahul, after being adjudged player of the match during India’s ODI against Sri Lanka in Kolkata in January, had made a prophetic statement when asked to sum up a turbulent 2022.
Rahul had explained how he found that an injury makes an individual a different “person”, how the body “doesn’t react the same way” to a situation and how he has understood that it’s “challenging” to cope with the expectations of performing when you are “straight away put into international cricket”.
Eight months on, Rahul — whose international career has been a start-stop affair due to fitness issues — will face perhaps the toughest challenge of returning from an injury lay-off.
Having recovered from a quadriceps surgery after hurting his thigh during the IPL in May and the groin niggle he suffered just before the Asia Cup, Rahul is expected to strike a balance for India, starting with the high-intensity clash versus Pakistan on Sunday till the end of the World Cup.
Chat with Dravid
No wonder Rahul was in the limelight on Thursday morning when six India players trained indoors at the Nondescripts Cricket Club. Seldom did the stylish batter appear out of touch during his batting drill and had multiple chats with head coach Rahul Dravid during the team’s optional training session.
He was also involved in a short game of mini-footie along with Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Shardul Thakur. Since there was hardly any space, Rahul did not don the gloves.
Should the Colombo weather remain clear on Sunday, Rahul will be expected to play the role of wicketkeeper-batter at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
The challenge will be multifold for the Bengaluru player.
Having lost his place in the Test side and the selection committee starting to favour younger players for T20s, ODI cricket is now Rahul’s primary format. But Ishan Kishan has emerged as a reliable option for a similar role.
In Rahul’s absence, Ishan played a pivotal role in shaping India’s innings in a rain-marred league clash against Pakistan last weekend in Pallekele.
Moreover, Rahul hardly has any leeway in regaining his mojo before the World Cup. India’s three or four games in the Asia Cup are in danger of being a no-show due to weather. That may leave him with just three ODIs against Australia to find his touch.
Rahul at times receives unnecessary flak on social media for being favoured by the team management.
It is time for Rahul to translate all the support of captains and coaches into consistent success at the highest level over the next two months. Can he begin on Sunday?
