Asia Cup 2023: KL Rahul Ruled Out of India's First Two Matches Against Pakistan and Nepal

KL Rahul will not be available for India’s first two matches of the 2023 Asia Cup meaning he’s been ruled out from the group stage of the tournament which will be played in one-day format this time around.

Rahul was named in India’s 18-man squad for the continental tourney after undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

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Rahul suffered a thigh injury earlier this year during IPL 2023 and subsequently underwent a surgery in England. After his recovery at the NCA, the top-order batter joined India squad for a preparatory camp in Alur (Karnataka) which concluded on Tuesday.

However, India head coach Rahul Dravid has said despite the good progress, Rahul will miss the matches against Pakistan and Nepal.

“He (KL Rahul) has had a really good week with us, really trained well, he is progressing well on the route we want to take but he will be unavailable for the Kandy leg of the trip,” Dravid told reporters on Tuesday.

“The NCA will be looking after him for the next few days while we are travelling. We will reassess on the 4th and then take it from there. But the signs are looking good and he is progressing really well,” he added.

India start their campaign against Pakistan on September 2 in Pallekele before locking horns with Nepal on September 4.

India have been sweating over the fitness of their middle-order duo of Rahul and Shreyas Iyer for months now. Iyer underwent back surgery which has also kept him out of action for a significant period.

Dravid says the team management is taking a ‘cautious approach’ with respect to Rahul’s recovery but Iyer has ticked all the boxes and he only needs match practice now.

“(Iyer) Looked pretty good (during the preparatory camp). It’s all about giving him more game time, hopefully it will come in Asia Cup. In terms of fitness he has done really well, has batted really well, ticked all the boxes,” Dravid said.

“Both Rahul and Shreyas are in the same boat. Slightly cautious approach with KL. We are hoping he will only miss first two games and will be available for the latter part of the tour (Asia Cup),” he added.

The Asia Cup will start from August 30 with Pakistan taking on Nepal in Multan.