IND vs ZIM 2022: KL Rahul included in squad after passing fitness test; to lead India

KL Rahul has not played competitive cricket for three months due to injury issues. He has not been deemed fit and included in the squad for the Zimbabwe tour and will also lead the side.

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Indian wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul has been out of action from competitive cricket for over three months after battling an injury. He was diagnosed with a sports hernia and even underwent surgery for the same in Munich. After a month-long rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, he has been cleared by the BCCI Medical Team. On Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced his inclusion in the Indian One-Day International (ODI) squad for the Zimbabwe tour from August 18. He would also lead the side, taking over the reins from senior opener Shikhar Dhawan, who will now be the vice-captain.

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“The BCCI Medical Team has assessed KL Rahul and cleared him to play in the upcoming three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has appointed him the captain of the side and named Shikhar Dhawan as his deputy,” read a statement from the BCCI.

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BCCI’s move to appoint Rahul as the skipper is a surprise, considering that he hasn’t played professional cricket in over three months. His last cricketing outing was the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, where he led new franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and finished as the tournament’s second highest run-scorer. He accumulated 616 runs in 15 innings at an average of 51.33 and a strike rate of 135.38, including twin tons and four half-centuries, besides having a top score of an unbeaten 103.

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India’s updated squad for Zimbabwe ODIs: KL Rahul (c) Shikhar Dhawan (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj and Deepak Chahar.