The KL Rahul fitness saga seems to be getting murkier by the day. Twenty-four hours before their departure for Pallekele, Team India head coach Rahul Dravid announced that the wicketkeeper-batter will be joining the squad after the first two matches.
“KL has had a good week with us. He is playing well. He is progressing really well, but he will be unavailable for the first part, for the Kandy leg of the trip. He will miss the first two games,” Dravid said at the conclusion of the conditioning camp in Alur, near Bangalore, on Tuesday.
“From our perspective, it’s only two less games that he is going to (play). He is batting really well, he’s keeping… It’s just a slightly more cautious approach with him leading into the World Cup.
“He’ll have a couple of match simulations over the course of the next few days, which gives him a little bit of a longer time out there in the middle. We are hoping that it should be only two games that he misses, and then he should be available for the latter part of the tour.
“There is an Australia series as well, so I’m not too worried about it. He’s an experienced player, both him and Shreyas (Iyer) have played a lot of cricket. They are very experienced players and, hopefully, we can give him the game time.”
While Dravid was confident that Rahul would be fit in time for the Super Fours of the Asia Cup, doubts still exist about his availability.
“The NCA will be looking after him for the next few days while we are travelling. We will reassess on the 4th (September) and then take it from there. But the signs are looking good and he is progressing really well,” Dravid said.
This implies Rahul will not be able to prove his match fitness before September 5, the ICC’s deadline for naming the provisional squad for the World Cup. However, it is almost certain that he will be named in the 15-member squad. Sanju Samson will travel to Sri Lanka as his back-up but is unlikely to be considered for the showpiece event.
There’s no doubting Rahul’s credentials, but why did Dravid have to go out of his way to make him part of the squad? Why carry an unfit player and risk further injury? While he hasn’t played any competitive match since May, wouldn’t it have been better to give him more time to recover and not rush him into international cricket?
The team management has not confirmed the sort of niggle Rahul has been nursing, but those in the know told The Telegraph that he has an issue while keeping. Rahul was unable to squat at full stretch during keeping and spent the sessions almost standing behind the stumps.
He though didn’t display any discomfort when batting. He was using his feet against the spinners comfortably and even hit a few sixes showing immense control and power.
Iyer’s case is interesting too. Dravid was satisfied about his fitness but questions will remain about the recovery process following a back surgery in April.
Like Rahul, he too hasn’t shown any discomfort while batting but not all are satisfied with issues like a quick pick-up and throw and diving on the field. “He has looked good. He has had no issues. It’s pretty straightforward, he has come and he has played. It’s now just about us giving him some game time. One of the things he has missed is games and matches. It’s something we can give him in the Asia Cup and build him up for the World Cup,” Dravid said.
“In terms of fitness, he has done everything well in the camp... he has batted, fielded well, ticked all the boxes. Except of course the game time. He has played some practice games, but that’s not like the real thing like international cricket.
“Fortunately, we’ve got some games now with the Asia Cup and a few games with Australia to top that up and give him the opportunity to tick that box as well,” the head coach said.
As Dravid confessed, practice games are "not like the real thing". In his endeavour to pick the perfect No.4 and 5, Dravid has acted in haste and kept things under wraps. If their injuries aggravate or they pick up a fresh niggle, the team management will have a lot to answer.
