KL Rahul To Lead India vs Zimbabwe After Being Declared Fit by BCCI Medical Team

Shikhar Dhawan, who had been named captain initially, will now be his deputy.

Batter KL Rahul is making a comeback to the Indian side ahead of Asia Cup 2022.

(Photo: IANS)

Senior opener KL Rahul will lead the Indian team in the three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe after being declared fit by the BCCI medical team on Thursday, 11 August.

"The BCCI Medical Team has assessed KL Rahul and cleared him to play in the upcoming three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe," the Board for Control of Cricket in India said in a statement.

"The All-India Senior Selection Committee has appointed him the captain of the side and named Shikhar Dhawan as his deputy," it added.

Dhawan had been named captain initially.

The Backdrop

Rahul was recovering from a sports hernia surgery and was supposed to play the West Indies series before testing positive for COVID-19.

Since his recovery was taking time, he was not initially selected for the Zimbabwe tour and was given time to get fully fit before the all-important Asia Cup.

Rahul's addition took the squad strength to 16 as the selectors didn't replace any player. But Rahul's presence means that there is virtually no chance for Ruturaj Gaikwad to get a game in this series.

There will be no Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, or Mohammed Shami for this series as they had all been rested.

Bumrah, however, is nursing a back injury and is already ruled out of the Asia Cup in the UAE, starting August 27.

From this squad, Rahul and Deepak Hooda are the only two players in the main squad.