Kannur Lokesh Rahul Cleared To Play, Will Lead Indian Team Against Zimbabwe: BCCI
Kannur Lokesh Rahul Cleared To Play, Will Lead Indian Team Against Zimbabwe: KL Rahul received his clearance by the BCCI medical team to play in the three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe. The All-India Senior Selection Committee appointed Rahul the captain of the Indian team. Shikhar Dhawan has been named the deputy of the Indian team.
India opener KL Rahul has been deemed fit and clear by the BCCI medical team to revive back to action. The 30-year-old will be leading the Indian team in the three-match series in Zimbabwe.
“The BCCI Medical Team has assessed KL Rahul and cleared him to play in the upcoming three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe,” the Board for Control of Cricket in India said. “The All-India Senior Selection Committee has appointed him the captain of the side and named Shikhar Dhawan as his deputy.”
The last time KL Rahul appeared in a competitive match was in the Indian Premier League eliminator. The 29-year-old was the captain of the South Africa series. But he had to pull out from the series due to an injury. But just when it looked like he would recover in time for the West Indies series, he suffered from Covid-19. This led Rahul to miss India’s tour of England and Ireland.
Since his recovery took time, he was unselected for the Zimbabwe tour. Rahul was provided time to get fully fit before the Asia Cup.
KL Rahul is an all-format first-choice deputy to regular skipper Rohit Sharma. His availability pushed Dhawan to vice-captaincy for the series.
Rahul’s addition took the squad strength to 16 members. The selectors did not go for the replacement of players. But Rahul’s presence means denied Ruturaj Gaikwad to get a game in this series.
There will be no Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, or Virat Kohli for this series against Zimbabwe.
Bumrah is recovering from a back injury. He is ruled out of the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates, starting August 27.
| INDIA TOUR OF ZIMBABWE, 2022 | ||||
| Sr. No. | Day | Date | Match | Venue |
| 1 | Thursday | August 18th | 1st ODI | Harare Sports Club |
| 2 | Saturday | August 20th | 2nd ODI | Harare Sports Club |
| 3 | Monday | August 22nd | 3rd ODI | Harare Sports Club |
India’s squad for 3 One Day Internationals
KL Rahul (Captain)
Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain)
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Shubman Gill
Deepak Hooda
Rahul Tripathi
Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper)
Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper)
Washington Sundar
Shardul Thakur
Kuldeep Yadav
Axar Patel
Avesh Khan
Prasidh Krishna
Mohd Siraj
Deepak Chahar