[Watch] KL Rahul undergoes intense rehabilitation at NCA on road to recovery

Indian batter KL Rahul began his extensive rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore after undergoing a successful thigh surgery in the United Kingdom.

The stylish right-hander injured his thigh while fielding in the clash between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 1. The LSG skipper had to be helped off the field in Lucknow and was eventually ruled out for the rest of the tournament and the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Rahul, who is targeting the Asia Cup in September for his comeback, shared a video of his intense workout at the NCA on social media. He captioned the post:

"In the journey to recovery, each small step holds immense value."

Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant was among the first to respond to Rahul's post, writing:

"Welcome brother 😂😀"

Pant, who suffered a terrible car accident in December last year, had major surgery on his ligament a few months ago and has been rehabilitating at the NCA in Bangalore. He has been out of action for the entire year, including the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the IPL season, and the WTC final.

KL Rahul had been struggling till his injury in the IPL, averaging 34.25 at a strike rate of 113.22 in nine matches. He also endured a poor run of form in the Test format over the last two years, averaging a meager 15.90 in six Tests since 2022.

Nevertheless, the wicketkeeper-batter remains a vital cog in India's plans for the 50-over World Cup, averaging an impressive 56.50 in six ODIs this year.

Rahul boasts a stellar record in the 50-over format, averaging 45.13 at a strike rate of 86.57. He played a couple of match-winning knocks against Sri Lanka and Australia earlier this year.

Rohit Sharma and Co. will hope that the Bangalore-born batter will recover in time for the Asia Cup and the following home World Cup to operate in the crucial No.5 position in the batting order.

Team India missed KL Rahul in the WTC final against Australia

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul's opening partnerships were crucial in India's tour of England in 2021

Team India suffered an annihilating defeat at the hands of Australia by 209 runs in the WTC final at the Oval on June 11.

While Rahul has not been in the best of forms in Tests, his experience in the English conditions and ability to bat at different positions was sorely missed. India also missed the services of regular wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant and could have used KL Rahul as the makeshift keeper.

The 31-year-old was one of the stars for India on their previous tour to England, scoring 315 runs in four Tests at an average of 39.37 with a century and a half-century. He has also scored over 600 runs in Tests in England with a couple of centuries. His opening partnerships with Rohit Sharma were instrumental in India taking a 2-1 lead after four Tests in the 2021 series.

Rohit Sharma and Co. struggled both in terms of a solid opening partnership and for a contribution from their wicket-keeper KS Bharat in the one-off Test match.

While the openers put on 30 and 41 in the two innings, KS Bharat scored only 28 total runs in the match. India's batting frailties cost the side as they were bowled out under 300 in both innings against the Aussies.