KL Rahul the focus ahead of India World Cup squad announcement

The national selectors would dearly hope the long wait for KL Rahul’s comeback after surgery does not come back to bite them this time with the white-ball keeper-batter likely to be picked in the provisional World Cup squad on Tuesday. The selectors do have until September 27 to make any changes by when India would have played 3-4 Asia Cup matches as well as three ODIs against Australia.

India’s top-order is again expected to be the engine room of the hosts’ campaign for the October 5-November 19 tournament. It is the middle-order that is short of game time, if not experience.

The lingering doubts over whether Rahul is as good as before – to bat and keep wicket – cannot be dispelled until he makes a successful return to competitive cricket. Trial matches at NCA may not give the real picture. The Karnataka batter has been out of action for more than four months, since he suffered a thigh injury in IPL that required surgery.