The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee bowed to the wishes of the team management by deciding to take a gamble and include KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer in the 17-member Indian squad for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.
The move, following a meeting in New Delhi on Monday, is aimed to make both the batters available for the World Cup which begins on October 5. The selectors are expected to prune the members down to 15 before September 5, the deadline for announcing the provisional squad.
Sources told The Telegraph that Rahul and Iyer are yet to regain full fitness following right thigh and back surgeries, respectively, though Agarkar claimed only the former was nursing a niggle.
Uncertainty over their inclusion in the playing XI forced the selectors to include Suryakumar Yadav and rookie Tilak Varma. Sanju Samson will also be in Sri Lanka as a back-up.
Nitin Patel, head of sports science and medicine at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), briefed the selectors and team management on their fitness status. Head coach Rahul Dravid was also present at the meeting as a special invitee.
Agarkar did sound a note of caution on Rahul while declaring Iyer fit at the media conference. “Both are coming off long-term serious injuries. Shreyas has been declared completely fit. Rahul, not his original injury but there’s a niggle, which is why Sanju is travelling,” Agarkar said.
“We’ll get a report from the physio at some stage but we all expect him to be fit. If not at the start, by the second or third game, but he’s on track.”
With the team management willing to risk both Rahul and Iyer, who have been adequately short of match fitness, the selectors didn’t have a choice. Patel is learnt to have sounded out the dangers involved in rushing a half-fit player into a match.
India will play a minimum of six games in the Asia Cup followed by three ODIs at home against Australia in the run-up to the World Cup. The think-tank wants to test both players’ fitness levels at the preparatory camp in Bangalore, starting Wednesday, and the Asia Cup before taking a final call.
“There is this belief that both the batters will be fit by the time the World Cup arrives. The selectors had to give in to the team management’s wishes who felt their availability would be of great help,” a source told The Telegraph.
Assuming both Rahul and Iyer are fit for the World Cup, it will enhance the flexibility and overall balance of the middle-order. Having flirted with several options in the past few months, they can now zero in on a settled batting unit, fitness permitting.
Surya’s inclusion did invite a lot of discussion at the meeting but he was persisted with keeping in mind the fitness cloud over Rahul and Iyer. Varma’s presence will provide a left-handed option in the middle-order.
Flexibility, besides depth in the batting order till the No. 9 position, was also learnt to have been discussed. Pacer Shardul Thakur’s inclusion is an indication that the team is not willing to compromise on this aspect.
Also intriguing is the absence of an off-spinner or leg-spinner while having two left-arm orthodox spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel and left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav. One among Jadeja and Axar is expected to partner Kuldeep in the XI.
