KL Rahul rules himself out of the ICC Champions Trophy

What’s the story?

Indian opening batsman KL Rahul has revealed that the chances of him being fit for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in England are very slim. When asked whether he will feature in the tournament, Rahul said, "I will just have to wait and see but the chances are very, very slim," as quoted from The Times of India.

The 25-year-old had sustained an injury to his shoulder during the first Test match against Australia and required surgery after the conclusion of the series.

When asked about the true nature of his injury and why he needed surgery, Rahul said, "I had torn my labrum (a ring of fibrocartilage). I couldn't get into a few positions because my shoulder kept dislocating - popped out and popped back in. That's why I couldn't play a lot of shots, had to restrict myself. I played with a lot of medication and taping. Surgery was to fix it on the inside."

The Background

Like a host of other Indian players who featured throughout the long home season, Rahul was forced to sit out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) because of injury. He travelled to London to undergo surgery in a bid to be 100% fit for the upcoming ICC tournament.

Extra Cover: IPL 2017: RCB announce KL Rahul's replacement

Despite injuring his shoulder during the course of the first Test match, Rahul played in the remaining three Test matches of the series through the pain. He was in terrific form in that particular series and finished as India’s second highest run-scorer (only behind Cheteshwar Pujara) scoring 393 runs from seven innings.

The heart of the matter

Rahul also shed light on the estimated recovery period. He said that it usually takes anywhere close to 2-3 months to completely recover. For the next 2-3 weeks, he has been advised rest after which he may start physiotherapy and the rehabilitation will begin then.

With the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 scheduled to begin on June 1 in England, it is likely that the Karnataka player will not be fit in time for the tournament.

What’s next?

India are scheduled to play their first warm-up game on May 28 against New Zealand. Several nations have already announced their squads for the tournament and the Indian team will announce the 15-member squad in the coming days.

Extra Cover: ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Warm-up schedule announced

Author’s Take

It is definitely a huge blow to the Indian team that the Karnataka batsman will most likely miss the tournament. Rahul has been a vital player for the national team in the last 12 months and replacing him will be a tough task.

It will be interesting to see who will replace the opener in the squad. Young players like Manan Vohra, Rishabh Pant, and Sanju Samson have impressed in the IPL, while the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are also looking to make a comeback.