India vs Pakistan: Scott Styris Says Advantage KL Rahul As Pakistan Go Without Shaheen Afridi Vs India
Published - 24 Aug 2022, 06:17 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:12 AM
Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris believes that India’s top-order batsman KL Rahul has a chance to shine for his team because Pakistan pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi would not be present at the upcoming Asia Cup.
Due to a knee injury, Shaheen Afridi was pulled out of Pakistan’s team for the flagship event. The 22-year-old sustained the injury during the recent Test series in Galle against Sri Lanka.
KL Rahul made his first appearance since the end of the 2022 Indian Premier League. He was scheduled to lead India during the five-match T20I series against South Africa but was forced to withdraw just before the start of the series owing to an injury for which he traveled to Germany for surgery.
When Rahul tested positive for Covid-19 before the T20I series against the West Indies, his return was further delayed. Eventually, he made a comeback and guided India to a three-match ODI series victory over Zimbabwe. He had trouble with the bat, though, as seen by his scores of 1 and 30 in the second and third games in Harare.
Scott Styris analyzes KL Rahul’s form ahead of the Asia Cup:
KL Rahul’s performance in the lead-up to the Asia Cup 2022 is not a major issue for Scott Styris, who anticipates that the Indian vice-captain will soon return to form.
“First off, I would not be concerned either about KL Rahul. If he faced 5–10 balls per innings, I would be concerned, but the last one in particular—46 deliveries, I believe—made me nervous.”
“If that is the case, it indicates that the middle of the game is approaching and that he will become increasingly fluent. Much more priceless than the nets” Scott Styris said.
“The absence of the primary man who exposes the weakness. I believe KL Rahul still has a chance to be the star that we know he is, because, as Saba correctly pointed out, the lineage is there” Scott Styris stated during an interview on the SPORTS18 program “SPORTS OVER THE TOP.”
In the ODI series against Zimbabwe, Rahul amassed 31 runs throughout two innings. Despite scoring 30 runs in the game’s last innings, he was not at his best and was dismissed just as he was beginning to attack the opposing bowlers.
