KL Rahul bats for an hour in Asia Cup 2023 camp, Ishan Kishan keeps wickets - Reports

Middle-order batter KL Rahul batted for close to an hour on Friday (August 25) while also spending some time with India's fitness coach, according to reports from the Karnataka State Cricket Association ground in Alur for Star Sports. Ishan Kishan, meanwhile, did wicketkeeping drills with the fielding coach T Dilip.

Rahul was selected to India's squad for the Asia Cup 2023 after being sidelined for three months due to a thigh injury. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar during the squad announcement said although the right-hander was no longer suffering from the injury, he had a new niggle that might force him out of the first few matches.

Star Sports reporter Rohan Deshmukh saw him bat and run between the wickets and felt that he was fit to bat and the unexplained niggle wasn't a significant issue. Kishan might take up the 31-year-old's place in the middle-order for the first half of the tournament, which begins on August 31. Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson is also present with the team as a reserve wicketkeeper.

India have a five-day skill-enhancement camp in Alur with all members of the Asia Cup squad, except the ones who recently played in Ireland. The latter group is expected to join within a couple of days as well.

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"If you have a niggle, don’t pick him in the squad" - Krishnamachari Srikkanth on KL Rahul's selection for Asia Cup

Recently, former World Cup winner and selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth vehemently expressed his disagreement with Rahul's selection.

“It’s being said that KL Rahul has a niggle," he said in a video on his YouTube channel. "If you have a niggle, don’t pick him in the squad. If a player is not fit during selection, you shouldn’t pick him if you want to pick him for the World Cup, select him for the World Cup. That’s a different issue."

"Now they are saying that he might play after a couple of matches, and that’s why we have picked Sanju Samson as a travelling reserve. What’s all this?” Srikanth added.

The Asia Cup will kick off on August 31 and India will play their first match of the tournament against Pakistan on September 2.