India wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul is back in the country after a medical examination in London to treat his right quadricep tendon injury. Rahul picked up the injury during the first Test against England in Hyderabad, and the ordeal forced him to miss the remainder of the matches in the five-match series.
He has checked in to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and is awaiting the Return To Play certificate.
Rahul, who leads the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), will be keen on playing all the matches in the upcoming season starting March 22. The 31-year-old's IPL journey was cut-short in 2023 when he injured his thigh while fielding against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He appeared in only nine matches before undergoing a surgery.
The surgery in May forced him out of the World Test Championship final against Australia.
Out of reckoning in T20Is
Rahul has not been part of India's T20I plans since November 2022, the last outing being the semi-final against England in the T20 World Cup. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were also not included in T20Is until this January. The senior duo returned in the series against Afghanistan, but Rahul missed out. Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma were named wicketkeepers.
Rahul, however, has been a successful T20 batsman with over 600+ runs in every IPL season from 2020 to 2022. The T20I record stands impressive: two hundreds and 22 fifties at a strike-rate of 139.12.
If Rahul strikes form in the IPL, it will be a headache for the selectors to choose the best side for the T20 World Cup 2024 beginning on June 2 in the United States of America and the West Indies.
Recent white-ball and Test records
Rahul has been in electric form in the other formats, which can work in his favour. He smashed 452 runs as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the World Cup, including a hundred and two fifties. Later, he led the Indian ODI team to a 2-1 series victory in South Africa.
When no player clicked in the first Test against the Proteas in Centurion, Rahul stood tall and scored a hundred.
Rahul may face competition from Jitesh, Samson and perhaps Rishabh Pant, who is on the road to recovery, but he will always have an edge for his recent performances. He could play only as a batsman, if required.
LSG will begin its IPL campaign against Rajasthan Royals on March 24 in Jaipur.
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