Hedge on Rahul or gamble on Kishan?

India haven’t won an ICC Trophy in over a decade, and Rahul has barely played enough cricket to be considered for the World Cup.

KL Rahul - the man who has spent more days rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy than on the cricket field this year - is back in the squad and with that in spotlight as well. Even as he was recovering from a surgery on his hip, he picked up a niggle which will keep him out of contention for at least the first two games of the Asia Cup.

So, what forces the successive Indian team managements to invest in him? Of course, his body of work is impressive with an average of 45.13 from 54 One-Day Internationals and he doubles up as a capable ’keeper. His body, though, is a problem. 

His list of injuries is endless, prompting many to wonder if he can go a five-match series without breaking down, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. 

That’s a particularly worrying proposition given that the 50-over World Cup is a month away. This then is the right time to give Ishan Kishan a go and put to rest the anxiety-inducing speculation of Rahul’s return. 

Kishan’s position in the batting order will need some tweaking for he prefers to bat at the top, as opposed to the middle, but that’s a smaller problem than working overtime to get Rahul ready. 

While a fit Rahul is a sight for sore eyes, and rightly walks into India’s playing XIs across all formats, as it stands now, he isn’t the man India will want to hinge their hopes on. 

They haven’t won an ICC Trophy in over a decade, and Rahul has barely played enough cricket to be considered for the World Cup.

At least had he been available for the entirety of the Asia Cup, it would have given him enough time to get into his stride, and enough data for the selectors and the physiotherapists to gauge his rehabilitation. But, he’s missing the first two games, meaning he will have around seven games to prepare for the World Cup. 

"From our perspective, it's only two less games that he is going to (play),” coach Rahul Dravid said. “It's just a slightly more cautious approach with him leading into the World Cup.

"There is an Australia series as well, so I'm not too worried about it. He's an experienced player, both him and Shreyas (Iyer, who is also on a comeback trail after a long injury layoff) have played a lot of cricket. They are very experienced players and hopefully, we can give him the game time.”

That the Indian team loves Rahul and his general attitude is plain to see. That they want him to fit into their combination schemes is also obvious. But what sense does it make to push for someone who isn’t ready?

Instead, the Indian team should take a gamble on the young Kishan and see how that works out for them throughout this tournament, the three ODIs against Australia and the World Cup. 

That’s a gamble worth taking, not the one where Rahul is suddenly a hundred per cent and performing at world-class levels in a week’s time or even a month. 

Rahul is a grand player and should be in India’s plans for years to come. Just not this World Cup.