Asia Cup 2022: “He will be in the team, but it will be interesting to see where KL Rahul bats”- Aakash Chopra wants Team India to stick to the batting order for T20 World Cup

KL Rahul is due to make his international comeback in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. The right-handed batter has not played cricket since the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to surgery and COVID-19.

He is the favourite to open for Team India in the tournament. But with Suryakumar Yadav stepping up to do the job for the Men in Blues in the five-match T20I series against West Indies, there is growing talk of a debate for the opening slot.

Rahul is a versatile batter with ability to both open the innings and bat in the middle order. Thus, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra is interested to see where KL Rahul bats in the Asia Cup. He wants the Men in Blue to stick to the batting order ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Speaking to Sports Presenter Jatin Sapru on YouTube about KL Rahul's position in the Indian team, Chopra said:

“He will be in the team, but it will be interesting to see where KL Rahul bats. You will have two (Rahul and Virat Kohli) out of the top three batters who do not have the momentum [of playing the game] for quite some time. [On batting positions] Whatever you will do in the World Cup, stick with that batting order.”

KL Rahul last played for India in February in an ODI against West Indies in which he scored 49 runs. He underwent surgery for a groin injury ahead of the home series against South Africa in June.

The right-handed batter resumed his training at the NCA, Bengaluru. He recently tested positive for COVID-19, which ruled him out of the five-match T20I series against West Indies.

KL Rahul became Rohit Sharma’s deputy in white-ball formats in November 2021. Later, he was also named Test vice-captain in December 2021.

Asia Cup 2022: “He is just a bowler”- Aakash Chopra does not consider R Ashwin to be an all-rounder

Aakash Chopra feels that Ravichandran Ashwin does not fulfill the tag of an all-rounder in T20Is. He considers the latter to be primarily a bowler. However, he said that Ashwin would find a place in the India squad for the Asia Cup.

“I do not consider Ravichandran Ashwin an all-rounder unless he plays at No.3, which he does for Rajasthan Royals. He is just a bowler. He will be there [India squad for Asia Cup] besides Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya.”

Ashwin has played 13 T20I innings in which he has scored 146 runs at an average of 29.2