Team India's first-choice wicketkeeper batsman KL Rahul, yet to attain 100 % match-fitness, has been picked in the 17-man squad for 2023 Asia Cup. While announcing India squad for 16th edition of the six-team continental tournament, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar informed that KL Rahul has sustained a new niggle and will miss the blockbuster India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match on September 2. Agarkar said that Rahul will most likely attain full fitness after the 2nd or 3rd match. Sanju Samson, whose recent form in ODIs has been very poor, was picked as a backup keeper. For the unversed, KL Rahul will be making his India comeback after months. The 30-year-old missed a lot of cricketing action and underwent surgery for a calf injury he picked in the middle of IPL 2023, earlier this year.
Meanwhile, 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth has slammed the BCCI for picking KL Rahul in India's Asia Cup 2023 team.
"It's being said that KL Rahul has a niggle. 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. That was our policy. On the day of selection, if a player is not fit, don't select 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," Krishnamachari Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel.
"You're playing Asia Cup which is also a premier tournament. We haven't qualified for the Asia Cup (final) over the last two editions. You have to qualify for the final and perform well. They are still unsure about the World Cup squad. You're confused. You need to have something called selection policy. I am not trying to take any credit but let me tell you what we (our selection panel) used to have," Srikkanth added.
Srikkanth highlighted a past incident where the selection panel decided to snub an unfit star player on the day of selection.
"We had this problem during a Test match. It was against a Test vs South Africa. VVS Laxman said he would play if he gets fit in time and urged us to keep him in the team. But on the day of the match, he was not fit. And then we thought of drafting Rohit Sharma in. But Rohit played football and injured himself. After that, Wriddhiman Saha made his debut. On that day, our selection panel decided not to be desperate. On the day of selection, if you're not fit, don't pick that player. You're making it look as though Indians don't have talent. You have created a situation like that," Srikkanth further said.