"KL Rahul's injury is definitely a setback for India"- Wahab Riaz ahead of IND vs PAK in Asia Cup 2023

Former Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz believes Team India will dearly miss the services of KL Rahul in their middle order in their encounter against Pakistan to be played in Kandy on Saturday.

Rahul has been recovering well from his thigh injury as per reports, but head coach Rahul Dravid claimed that the team were taking a cautious approach to get the wicketkeeper-batter back into the fold and he would be unavailable for the Kandy leg of the Asia Cup.

Speaking to Zalmi TV, here's what Wahab Riaz had to say about KL Rahul's absence and it's impact on Indian team:

"KL Rahul's injury is definitely a setback for India, because he is important to them in the middle order and can handle the pressure well. I have played against him in the 2019 World Cup and he is a solid player."

He also explained the one thing that both India and Pakistan need to get right in the match and added:

"Pakistan have to find a way to dismiss Rohit Sharma early. He has consistently scored big against Pakistan. Babar and Imam need to see off India's new ball burst."

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Both India and Pakistan are dependent on top 3: Wahab Riaz

Wahab Riaz claimed that whichever team makes early inroads with the new ball will have a greater chance of winning the game on Saturday. He explained how both India's and Pakistan's batting line-ups depend on their top order to get them off to good starts.

On this, Riaz stated:

"Whichever team makes the most of the first 10 overs will have the grip on the game. Both India's and Pakistan's batting are dependent on their respective top 3 to score big and that's why I feel it will be a battle of the new ball."

While Shaheen Afridi could cause problems for India with the new ball, the Men in Blue will hope Jasprit Bumrah replicates the impact.