IPL 2023 : KL Rahul can’t find peace even after Injury! Amol Mazumdar says he was never going to start the WTC Final!

KL Rahul, the standout batsman for India, said on Friday that he would not play in the upcoming World Test Championship final when India locks horns with Australia because of a hamstring injury he sustained during the on-going edition of the Indian Premier League.

Rahul’s hamstring was hurt right after a dive to block a boundary and save important runs for LSG during the Lucknow Super Giants’ match against Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this month. Rahul did emerge to bat after LSG’s innings’ ninth wicket, but he was clearly in pain while racing between the wickets.

BREAKING: Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul is ruled out of the IPL due to a hip injury#LSG | #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/xbAFF6ctf4

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 5, 2023

Even though KS Bharat was in the squad as the backup keeper, Rahul was viewed as India’s probable wicketkeeper-batter choice for the title match against Australia in June. Amol Muzumdar, a former Indian batter, says that Rahul hadn’t been a possibility since wicketkeepers had it tougher in England.

It’s interesting to note that Muzumdar omitted Ishan Kishan off the list of players who might make the starting XI.

KL Rahul is coming to bat with an injury.

Total respect for the captain. pic.twitter.com/BOBRyORQSS

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 1, 2023

“I’ll stick with what I said. You need genuine keeper who can bat a little. KL Rahul was never an option, for me, at least, in Test matches. It’s okay for T20 or a fifty-over match, but for Test – especially in England – where the ball nibbles around, you need a genuine keeper.” Muzumdar told ESPNCricinfo.

“Looking at the situation, what has happened to Rahul is unfortunate. But I would be inclined to include Ishan Kishan in the team, looking at his form. Why we talked about KL Rahul and KS Bharat… is because of the unfortunate incident to Rishabh Pant. Now, if you want a man-to-man replacement, you can’t get any closer to Pant than Ishan Kishan. So, he comes into my team. He should be included,” Muzumdar concluded.