KL Rahul was part of the Indian team for the IND vs AUS Tests, where he played all five Tests, and then missed Karnataka’s last Ranji Trophy match vs Punjab due to a niggle. And now suddenly he is fit, and will play in the next fixture against Haryana on Jan 30. And just three days after he will be playing in the IND vs ENG ODI series.
KL Rahul Makes Ranji Trophy Comeback
All that just doesn’t sense. First skipping the Ranji fixture, then getting picked in the ODI squad, and then playing the Ranji fixture, a red-ball match, when the white-ball season has already kicked off. A few questions arise here — If KL Rahul was unfit, why should he be risked in the Ranji Trophy fixture, when he has to prepare for the Champions Trophy..
Then, if form was the issue, then how will one match help him? KL Rahul would only end up occupying the space of a deserved player, that could cost Karnataka big. He had last played a Ranji Trophy match in Feb 2020, against Bengal at the Eden Gardens. So, if it has not happened in five years, what was the urgency? And what if, Rahul ends up aggravating his injury during the four-day match?
From FC to IND vs ENG ODIs
Instead, it would have been better if Rahul had played in the IND vs ENG T20I series. He had last played in the shortest-format in 2022, and would have helped him prepare better for the ODIs. In case the selectors didn’t want to give him a chance there, he could have just gone on to play in the ODIs directly. In short, Rahul’s entry in the Karnataka fold might not be able to get anything for the team or even the player.
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Karnataka squad: Mayank Agarwal (captain), KL Rahul, Shreyas Gopal (vice-captain), Devdutt Padikkal, KV Aneesh, R Smaran, KL Shrijith (wk), Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Raj, Prasidh Krishna, Vidwath Kaverappa, Vasuki Koushik, Abhilash Shetty, Yashovardhan Parantap, Nikin Jose, Sujay Sateri (wk), Mohsin Khan.
