Rahul Dravid provides update on KL Rahul’s participation in Asia Cup

KL Rahul is set to miss the first two Group stage games of the Asia Cup 2023 as he continues his recovery from injury.

KL Rahul will stay back in Bangalore with the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and will be assessed again on September 4 ahead of the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup.

"He's had a really good week with us," Dravid said at the pre-departure press conference on Tuesday.

"Really done well, done a lot of things. He's progressing really well on the route that we want to take.

"But he will be unavailable for the first part (of the Asia Cup), for the Kandy leg of the trip. The NCA will be looking after him for the next few days while we are travelling."

The coach added, "We will reassess on September 4 and take it from there. But the signs are looking good and he's progressing really well. He will be unavailable for the first two games."

The return of Rahul will be crucial for India not just from a wicket-keeping perspective but also in the middle order where he has shone at No.5.

In 18 matches in the middle-order spot, Rahul has aggregated 742 runs at an average of 53 and a strike rate of close to 100.