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Former India captain and champion batter, Krishnamachari Srikkanth lashed out at Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee for the inclusion of KL Rahul in the country's 2023 Asia Cup squad. Rahul, who has been recovering from an injury at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, is expected to miss the opening few matches of the continental competition after he picked up a niggle during rehab. Despite a fresh injury, Rahul was named in the squad.
Srikkanth found it hard to understand the logic behind including an injured player in the squad and strongly affirmed that if a player is unfit then he should never be considered for selection.
"It's being said that KL Rahul has a niggle. If you have a niggle, don't pick him in the squad. If a player is not fit during selection, you shouldn't pick him. That was our policy. On the day of selection, if a player is not fit, don't select him. If you want to pick him for the World Cup, select him for the World Cup. That's a different issue. Now they are saying that he might play after a couple of matches and that's why we have picked Sanju Samson as a travelling reserve. What's all this," Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Agarkar revealed the news of Rahul's injury during the press conference for Asia Cup squad announcement and also provided the reasoning behind including Sanju Samson as a traveling reserve.
"Shreyas Iyer has been declared completely fit. KL Rahul, in the last few days, not his original injury, but he has picked up a niggle," Agarkar had said.
"That's why Sanju Samson is at the moment travelling with us. But the physios, I am sure, will get a report, at some stage, they are all expected to be fit. If not at the start of the Asia Cup, probably from the 2nd and 3rd games (Rahul to be fit). He is well on track. Shreyas Iyer has been passed fit. Two important teams for us. We don't have to pick the World Cup team till September 5. That gives us more time," he added.
India squad for Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna
Reserve player: Sanju Samson.
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