Asia Cup 2023: KL Rahul is giving India stability with bat in middle-order, says R Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin is of the opinion that KL Rahul is providing India with the much-needed stability in the middle-order through his performances in the Asia Cup 2023 after returning from injury.

Rahul suffered an injury during the IPL 2023 when he sustained a full-fledged tear in his tendon, causing it to rip apart from his quadricep. This severe injury required surgical intervention, followed by an intensive recovery period at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

Rahul’s recovery was progressing ahead of schedule, and he was expected to be fully fit before the Asia Cup 2023. However, a minor niggle delayed his return, causing him to miss the first two group matches of the tournament in Sri Lanka.

His return to the field during the Asia Cup 2023 was nothing short of remarkable. He was unexpectedly drafted into the playing XI at the last minute due to Shreyas Iyer’s back spasm just before the toss against Pakistan. Despite the sudden call to action, Rahul delivered an impressive performance, scoring an unbeaten 111. He continued to shine in the subsequent match against Sri Lanka, contributing a crucial 39 runs to India’s victory.

As quoted by Hindustan Times, Ashwin said that Rahul is providing India stability with the bat in the middle-order. The off-spinner said that MS Dhoni had nailed the art but now feels Rahul is slowly mastering the art perfectly.

“KL Rahul is giving us that stability with the bat in the middle-order,” Ashwin said.

“That’s why batting in the middle-order is really difficult. MS Dhoni nailed that art. However, I am not at all comparing KL Rahul with MS Dhoni. Plus, he did a different role of batting at number 6/7 compared to KL Rahul.”

“But I feel he is slowly mastering his role perfectly. He put a partnership with Ishan Kishan initially against Sri Lanka too. When Dunith Wellalage was in a great rhythm, KL Rahul left it alone for two deliveries. That was a very good sign. It showed us that he had a good game plan,” said Ashwin.