IND vs AFG T20I: Why is KL Rahul not playing India vs Afghanistan T20 series?

KL Rahul has been one of the finest performers for Team India in the recently concluded Test series in South Africa. The Indian batter has amassed runs in ODI and Test cricket, ever since his return from injury at the Asia Cup last year. KL Rahul remains one of the most versatile batters in the Indian lineup, given his ability to bat at the top of the order, as well as the lower middle order.

Why is KL Rahul not playing India vs Afghanistan series?

Given his performances in International cricket over the past couple of months, it was expected that KL Rahul would make a return to the T20I side in the series against Afghanistan. However, several eyebrows have been raised with his exclusion from the shortest format of the game.

KL Rahul has been a part of the two previous editions of the T20I World Cup, failing to impress much with the bat. With the T20I World Cup coming up in less than six months time, his exclusion seems to have raised several questions.

There has been no clear communication from BCCI on whether the Indian wicket keeper has been rested or dropped for the T20I series. Given his struggles with injuries in the past couple of years, and India’s busy schedule in the next two months, there could be a chance that the selectors decided to give him a rest.

However, it seems that he is most likely not a part of the T20I plans for the upcoming World Cup. With the likes of Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav already missing from the squad, the selectors could have picked the Karnataka batter to fill up the middle order if he was a part of the plan.

Team India have plenty of talent in their ranks, especially in T20I cricket. The likes of Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal have made a strong case for their inclusion in the marquee event to be held in West Indies and USA.

Going purely based on the stats, KL Rahul has been exceptional in T20I cricket. He has amassed 2265 runs in 72 matches at an average of nearly 40. Such is the depth in the Indian batting order at the moment that a batter like KL Rahul has to be excluded from the T20I squad.

KL Rahul Last 10 T20I Innings