KL Rahul Seeks India A Squad Selection, BCCI Tells Him to Depart on Monday
KL Rahul, whose team, Delhi Capitals, is out of the IPL playoffs race, put his hand up and made himself available to join the India A squad.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] May 30: KL Rahul reportedly informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India that he would want to be a part of the India A squad for the second unofficial test against England Lions to prepare for the Test series against England. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee had initially named Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan in the India A squad for the second match starting June 6 but now Gujarat Titans have made it to the IPL playoffs and still have a chance to play the Qualifier 2 (if they beat Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator), and in the final on June 3 (if they beat PBKS in Qualifier 2), both the cricketers who are also part of India’s Test squad might not make it in time.
Rahul, whose team, Delhi Capitals, is out of the playoffs race, put his hand up and made himself available to join the India A squad. The right-hander, one of India’s most experienced batters on tour in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (both retired from Tests), is set to leave for England on Monday.
“He will be flying on Monday and will be playing a second unofficial test with the India A side. As he is part of the senior men’s team, which will be playing five Test matches in the series, these matches will give him game time and match practice,” a source in the BCCI confirmed to The Indian Express.
The Abhimanyu Easwaran led India ‘A’ team will play their first tour game against England Lions from today in Canterbury. A full-strength Indian team will also play an intra-squad match in Beckenham on June 13. The first Test starts in Leeds on June 20. As many as nine members of the India A team are also part of the Test squad.
India’s dependable top-order batter KL Rahul is set to play a crucial role in the upcoming five-Test series in England, with the team banking on his experience and composure in challenging overseas conditions.
Rahul recently returned from a tour of Australia, where he scored 255 runs in five Test matches at an average of 30.66, including two half-centuries. His standout performance came in the first Test in Perth, where he scored 26 and 77 in tough conditions. His form and solidity prompted skipper Rohit Sharma to reshuffle the batting order, moving himself down to No.6 when he returned for the second Test.
Rahul, who has featured in 58 Test matches for India so far, brings valuable experience to the squad. As India gears up for the high-stakes series in England, his previous performances against the English side will be crucial. In Tests against England, Rahul has scored 807 runs in 18 matches at an average of 29.88, including two centuries and five half-centuries. His most memorable innings came at Lord’s in 2021, where he scored a brilliant 129 to set up a famous Indian victory.
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