Are KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer not fully fit? Was complete information about their fitness was not provided to the selectors? Did the selectors take the risk of including them in the team despite knowing their fitness, under the pressure of Rahul Dravid? These are some questions that Team India may have to face in the coming days. Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar clarified during the announcement of the team that KL Rahul had recovered from his right thigh issue, but now he is struggling with a knee injury. The question arises as to how Rahul got injured again after recovering from his old injury when he hasn’t played any competitive cricket. If he has faced this issue during practice sessions, then how will he cope with it in tournaments like the Asia Cup or World Cup? Only he and India selectors can answer that. It is likely becoming apparent that KL Rahul may not feature in the first two matches of the Asia Cup. The team needed an experienced player like him against Pakistan. Moreover, Nasim Shah and Afridi have troubled him in the past with some good pace bowling. Now, he had a good opportunity to give a reasonable response. Anyway, facing them in the subcontinent is not as challenging as it is in England or Australia. Now the question here is whether the team management is inclined towards playing Sanju Samson in place of KL Rahul. Is it because he has been batting at number four while Ishan Kishan has been earmarked as the backup opener? If that’s the case, it doesn’t reflect positive thinking about team, as the team management has been advocating for keeping the positions of number four and number five flexible. So, why this contradiction? It’s true that Ishan Kishan has made a double century as an opener in ODIs, and he was also the Man of the Series in ODIs against the West Indies recently while playing as an opener. However, it’s also a fact that in the IPL, he has played at positions three to five. In the ODI team, he batted at number three against South Africa in Ranchi, scoring 93, and in the same position against Sri Lanka in Colombo, where he played his first ODI and scored 59 runs. Ishan Kishan adapts his game according to the format, while Sanju Samson seems to be so set in his ways in T20 cricket that he plays ODIs with a similar approach. Although the team does need one or two aggressive batsmen but one-day cricket is not just about playing big shots. It also requires patience when needed, and the ability to rotate strike in crucial match conditions. In this aspect, Sanju seems to lag behind Ishan Kishan. Sanju Samson career average is around 55-plus, because he remains not out five times.
