Wasim Jaffer, a former cricket player who is now a commentator, believes that India will not make any changes to their starting eleven for their match versus Hong Kong on the 31st of August 2022 during the Asia Cup. He also expressed his confidence that KL Rahul would play today despite his lacklustre performance in recent matches.
On Sunday, August 28, the Men in Blue got off to a victorious start in their tournament by pulling off a nail-biting victory against Pakistan by a score of five wickets. Following his scores of 30 (46), and one-off five balls in the two ODIs against Zimbabwe, Rahul’s score in this match was a perfect zero, known as a “golden duck.”
Indian vice-captain KL Rahul training hard in nets ahead of the Hong Kong match. pic.twitter.com/3ioXvRBgzw
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 30, 2022
What did Wasim Jaffer say about KL Rahul?
Even if players like Rishabh Pant and Deepak Hooda are now warming the bench, Jaffer believes that they would have to wait a little longer for a chance on the field since Indian captain Rohit Sharma “gives ample chances to every player.” He said to ESPNcricinfo as follows:
“Because of the way this squad is structured and the way it runs, we have known for the last year that the Indian team provides sufficient opportunity for all of its players. In my opinion, I do not believe that there will be any changes. You will have the same XI as in the previous game. If there isn’t an injury concern, I don’t believe a couple of failures will be enough for them to consider replacing KL Rahul or making any other changes.”
#bcci #rishabhpant #teamIndia #klrahul
Last 10 T20i Innings Of KL Rahul If We Leave Minnows Teams Like Scotland, Namibia etc.
0(2), 1(4), 0(6), 0(4), 14(17), 3(8), 18(16), 15(14), 65(49), 0(1)
Average: 11.6
Strike Rate: 95.89 pic.twitter.com/sBrgtCx7BY— Duck (@DuckInCricket) August 30, 2022
Jaffer noted that even though he is tempted to add leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi to the team, it is probable that pacer Avesh Khan would remain because of the conditions that are available in Dubai.
The former opener continued by saying: “Wicket has pace and bounce, so possibly Avesh will keep his position as well, but I am a little bit tempted to pick Ravi Bishnoi.”
In the match against Pakistan, Avesh only bowled a total of two overs, during which he took the wicket of Fakhar Zaman and allowed 19 runs to be scored. Instead of Rohit completing his quota of four overs, Hardik Pandya was allowed to do so. The all-rounder was able to repay the confidence with a bowling performance that resulted in three wickets while only costing 25 runs.
