With the ODI World Cup quickly approaching, injuries to key players have been a source of concern for Team India. KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer have been out of cricket action for quite some time and they have already missed several important matches for India, the recent being the World Test Championship final.
While there is no confirmation yet on when they will be back on the field, recent reports suggest that they will return to the squad ahead of the mega event in India later this year. Backing up these reports, a picture of India senior batter Rahul’s batting practice is doing the rounds on social media. The right-handed batter suffered a thigh injury during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and was forced to pull out from the tournament.
He underwent a surgery in London and has since been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. Although he was not in good form in limited overs, Rahul has been performing well for India in Tests. However, injury forced him to miss the WTC final against Australia, where Rohit Sharma and Co. suffered a 209-run defeat.
Meanwhile, a video of Rahul sweating it out in the nets after a break of almost 3 months was shared by his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) on their social media. The 32-year-old is working hard to get back on the field with the Asia Cup also around the corner – which will be a big preparation ahead of the World Cup. However, it remains to be seen if Rahul can regain full fitness before the continental tournament.
Watch the video below:
? Loading ??#WeAreSuperGiants | #KLRahul pic.twitter.com/OUinRsVrlg
— SuperGiantsArmy™ — LSG FC (@LucknowIPLCover) July 17, 2023
Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah to make return during Ireland series
Earlier, it was reported that Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah are also on their way back to Team India. Bumrah, who is undergoing rehabilitation at NCA, is bowling 8-10 overs daily without discomfort. He is likely to make a comeback during the T20I series against Ireland in August. On the other hand, India’s middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer is also eyeing a comeback in the Asia Cup as he was seen practicing in the nets in recent days. If Iyer regains fitness before the tour of Ireland, he may be included in the squad.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Free wicket for opposition
— Nikhil?? (@nikhil_Xd_7) July 17, 2023
kya matlb practise ka hona to 0 pe out h
— ?? ???? (@Yash_Soni04) July 17, 2023
Great news for india’s dreams to shatter !
— muhammadulfat (@muhammadulfat13) July 17, 2023
Bas kar bhai phir se wahi 0-1 se start karega India innings
— Mohammed Farooq (@farooqmd291) July 17, 2023
How on a sudden , all the players are recovering from injury
— Arj (@Hi_am_arj) July 17, 2023
Ab dusre ko chance do yaar. ?? he puts pressure on others at the top
— CA Hiren Thakkar (@Vitdwesh) July 17, 2023
Great News for Opening bowlers
— AdityaVarma? (@Ad1tyavarma) July 17, 2023
Great news for the opposition ?
— Praveen Angusamy IFS ? (@JungleWalaIFS) July 17, 2023
hope he comes back stronger
— PPiyush (@AldPiyush) July 17, 2023