KL Rahul, Deepak Chahar to make a comeback in Asia Cup: Reports

KL Rahul recently spoke on missing out on national games

India's star opener KL Rahul and fast bowling sensation Deepak Chahar are expected to make a comeback to the Indian team for the much-anticipated Asia Cup, starting from August 27 in UAE.

One of the finest batters of the modern era, KL Rahul has been out of competitive cricketing action since May 25. He last played an Eliminator game for his IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Kolkata.

Soon after the culmination of IPL, he was appointed the captain of team India for the five-match T20I series against South Africa but due to his groin injury and scheduled surgery in Germany, he missed the home series against the Proteas side.

The 30-year-old was recuperating well at National Cricket Academy (NCA) and was all set to make a comeback against West Indies in the five-match T20I series.

However, in another set of unfortunate events, he contracted COVID-19 and was ruled out of all limited-over series against the West Indies as well as the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe.

“KL Rahul doesn’t need to prove anything. He is a class player. Whenever he plays T20, it is always as a specialist opener and that would continue. Surya and Rishabh are set to play as specialist middle-order batters going forward,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Deepak Chahar be included in India’s squad for Asia Cup as a Backup

Deepak Chahar has been out of action for a while now

In another set of developments, Deepak Chahar, who will return to the Indian team in the ODI series against Zimbabwe after recovering from a severe back injury, is likely to be included in team India's Asia Cup squad.

The bowling all-rounder will be added to the squad as a backup option for the swing master Bhuvneshwar Kumar and his inclusion will be subject to match fitness.

“Deepak was one of India’s consistent T20 bowlers before he got injured. He deserves a fair chance and also we need a like-for-like back-up for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Also now that he is coming back, he would need to play a lot of games to get his rhythm back,” the source further added.

The former India captain Virat Kohli, and senior paceman Jasprit Bumrah who have been rested for the West Indies series and Zimbabwe tour will also make a comeback to the team for the marquee Asia event.