'He’ll be ready to go against Pakistan' - Scott Styris backs KL Rahul ahead of Asia Cup 2022

Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris has said that KL Rahul will be ready to go against Pakistan when India  meet their arch-rivals in the blockbuster Asia Cup clash on August 28. Rahul had to endure an unceremonious time on the sidelines after his unfortunate injury post-IPL 2022 before he made his much-anticipated return to cricket in the recently concluded ODI series in Zimbabwe. His return to the team is a major boost for the seven-time Asia Cup winners, who are vying for their third consecutive title this year.

Styris reckoned that he is not worried about the returning batter’s form, adding that the Indian opener will get more fluent and get back to his old self with increasing game time in the middle, which is far more valuable than spending time in the nets and expects him to be ready for the epic clash against Pakistan.

“First of all, with regards to KL Rahul, I wouldn’t be worried either. I’d be worried if he’d be facing 5-10 balls each innings but the last one in particular – 46 deliveries I think it was. If that’s the case, it means that time in the middle is coming and that means that he will become more and more fluent, game time in the middle? Far more valuable than the nets. So, I expect he’ll be ready to go against Pakistan,” Styris told Sports 18.

He further stated that the omission of Shaheen Afridi from the Pakistani team following his knee injury will be a boost for Rahul. “Now, for that one? I’m with you though, I think he’s going to go okay. The reason is for that is no Shaheen Afridi, we know that he’s out injured, the way he attacks the stumps that is the way you get KL Rahul out. LBW and bowled. The fact that the main man who exposes that weakness is not there. I think KL Rahul has got an opportunity to be the star still, that we know he is because the pedigree is there.”

We talked about Rishabh Pant, we can talk about Shubman Gill now: Saba Karim

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim, who is also a part of the show, spoke about the new breed of Indian cricketers, highlighting the emergence of Shubman Gill in the Indian white-ball team. He stated that the tough competition for a place in the national squad has meant that the players are trying to make each opportunity count by scoring big runs.

“This is the new breed of Indian cricketers who have been so impressive and most of them, or at least 2-3 of them you can pick out from there can become all-format players for India. And Shubman Gill is right up in the pecking order. We talked about Rishabh Pant, we can talk about Shubman Gill now,” Karim said.

“So, there are so many youngsters who are coming up to order, but also it means that due to this tough competition that we see now in the Indian side, anybody who gets an opportunity wants to score big, wants to make an impact,” he added.