The ‘problem of plenty’ has got a lot of prominence in the Indian camp. While there are some players who are the first-choice for playing XI, there are others waiting in the wings. And this happy headache for the team management doesn’t really seem to go away as KL Rahul and Deepak Chahar are back in the side for the away fixtures against Zimbabwe.
While Chahar was named in the squad earlier by the selectors, KL Rahul was also added later after he was declared fit to play. The right-hander had been out of action for quite some time owing to injury issues, followed by a positive COVID-19 test.
But now, with the regular skipper Rohit Sharma and big guns like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah rested, KL will lead India in the three-match ODI series. Though, Shikhar Dhawan was initially named the captain of the team for this tour.
For Rahul, it’s more about having some game time especially with Asia Cup 2022 slated to commence in the next 10 days and the T20 World Cup also scheduled to take place in October-November. The formats might be different but it’s certainly about getting into the groove as he is coming into this series after a long injury lay off.
WATCH: KL Rahul sweats it out in the nets ahead of first ODI
The only concern for the Indian team management would be his batting position as the opening duo of Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan performed well during the West Indies tour while they also have Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan in the line up.
Deepak Chahar’s see-saw year
Deepak Chahar has two half-centuries in ODIs and one of them came earlier this year against South Africa in January in Cape Town. He followed that with a 38 against West Indies in February in Ahmedabad.
Chahar was showing promise with both bat and ball, consistently, and the right-handed cricketer was rewarded as he was snapped by Chennai Super Kings for a sum of INR 14 crore during the mega auctions, following a bidding war with Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
But then the dark phase struck.
He picked up a quadricep tear during the home series against West Indies. He was ruled out of the IPL 2022 and the cricketing action for the national side that followed.
The injury concerns for the right-arm bowler continued as he later injured his back while he was at the NCA for the rehab.
A layoff that should have lasted for around 6 weeks swelled over six months. In fact, Chahar hasn’t found a place for himself in the Asia Cup squad and has very little opportunities to knock the selectors’ doors.
Zimbabwe in good touch
Well, the Indian team will step out as firm favourites when they take on Zimbabwe in Harare but the home side is playing some good cricket. They hammered Bangladesh in both T20Is and ODIs and can put up a good fight against The Men in Blue as well. The visitors can’t afford to take the hosts for granted.
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