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India’s star keeper-batsman KL Rahul is expected to make a return to the Indian team after a long gap due to injuries. He was injured during the IPL 2023 and had to undergo surgery, followed by rehabilitation for the last few months. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper was recently named in the squad for the Asia Cup’s Super 4 round as 25-year-old Ishan Kishan handled the wicket-keeping duties in his absence. Irfan Pathan recently gave his opinion about who should continue to play after KL Rahul returns to full fitness.
After his performances on the West Indies tour earlier this year and his double hundred in Bangladesh last year, Ishan was considered a backup opener. However, his performance against Pakistan at No. 5 has sparked discussions about Ishan starting ahead of Rahul in the Super Fours stage and has created a headache for the team management.
Irfan Pathan, a former fast bowler for India, has spoken out that the Indian team management should play KL Rahul at No. 5 when he returns in the Super Fours round of the 2023 Asia Cup. After missing the group-stage matches owing to a groin ache, Rahul is anticipated to play again during the Super Fours phases.
"You shouldn't have a short-term memory. You should have long-term thinking, and I feel the thinking with which the management is going is absolutely correct because if you keep going with short-term memory, you will have a lot of difficulty in making the team, stabilizing it, and giving confidence to the guys," Irfan Pathan said in a show on Star Sports.
"You just have to keep in mind that if KL Rahul comes and plays and doesn't get his form, then you can say that he didn't regain his form after injury, and you can give Ishan Kishan the entire World Cup. However, as soon as KL Rahul comes, he will play," Pathan stated further.
Pathan also spoke about KL Rahul’s numbers in the last two years by saying, "Ishan Kishan scored runs against Pakistan at No. 5, which is not his position. God forbid if he gets out in the next match, will we say he is not in form? No, that's not the case. We forget very quickly. We should never forget KL Rahul's numbers for the last two years, and Ishan Kishan has played one inning."
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It is still unclear what call the management will make before the high-pressure game, as KL Rahul has the experience while Ishan Kishan has the form. The management might even take a third route and drop Shubman Gill or Shreyas Iyer to accommodate both KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan in the XI.
India is scheduled to play arch-rivals Pakistan in their next game on Sunday, September 10 in Colombo. The previous encounter between the two sides was a disappointing washout and both the teams, as well as the fans, will be hoping that the rain gods do not intervene during this fixture.
