India's top-order batter KL Rahul has been away from national commitments from quite some time now owing to the injury and COVID-19 results. Ever since IPL concluded, Rahul sustained a groin injury on the eve of five-match T20Is against South Africa and since then, he is yet to don the blue jersey.
However, KL Rahul was recently included in the squad for West Indies series and was set to play 5-match T20Is but once again he was ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19. The 30-year-old batter is termed as one of the most consistent players across all-formats and has cemented his position in the squad with his dynamic batting skills. Rahul is also being considered as future captain of the team and might take the reign from Rohit Sharma in future.
The batter has been named in recently announced India squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 and fresh reports claim that he will be required to undergo a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru ahead of the 2022 Asia Cup.
A BCCI source close to the development told InsideSport, "KL Rahul is fully fit and that is the reason he is selected in the team. But as a protocol he will undergo a fitness test in Bengaluru." Notably, Rahul was last seen playing in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League following which he left for Germany to undergo a hernia surgery. The top-quality batter was ruled out of the England tour as a result of the same and his comeback was delayed after he contracted COVID-19 ahead of the Caribbean tour.
While Rahul's presence in the squad will surely provide much-needed edge to Rohit Sharma & Co., but if he fails to clear the fitness test, Shreyas Iyer is likely to replace him in the squad and might open along with Rohit Sharma.
Apart from Iyer, the likes of Deepak Chahar and Axar Patel have been named as stand-by players for the tournament. India will open their Asia Cup campaign with a clash against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on August 28 (Sunday).