‘He is a definite lock at No. 5’ – Ravichandran Ashwin heaps praise on KL Rahul ahead of Asia Cup

With just a few days left for the Asia Cup, Rohit Sharma and Co. are still struggling to find a suitable batter in the middle order. In addition, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer lack experience after their comebacks from injuries, whereas Suryakumar Yadav has had poor performances in the ODIs. Furthermore, a plethora of experts are sharing their views on who should bat at four and five. Notably, India’s star cricketer, Ravichandran Ashwin, is one of them.

In addition, the star all-rounder says that the Men in Blue didn’t get suitable batters in the middle order after the legendary batters MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh retired. Moreover, the off-spinner feels KL Rahul definitely looks to be fit for position 5, and the LSG skipper will be the first choice among wicket-keeper batters.

KL Rahul has filled that slot with expertise: Ravichandran Ashwin

“Ever since Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni retired, India were desperately looking for a replacement. Rahul has filled that slot with expertise. He is a definite lock at No5 and is also our wicketkeeper-batsman,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, the right-handed batter feels that after Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul was the second choice for the wicketkeeper, but after his grave accident, KL Rahul has been the first choice, followed by MI opener Ishan Kishan. In addition, the 36-year-old cricketer also talked about Shreyas Iyer and called him a crucial player. Notably, the Chennai-born cricketer feels that if Shreyas Iyer is fully fit, there will not be any debates on number four owing to his great success at that position.

“Before Pant’s injury, Rahul was second in line and now Ishan Kishan is the second keeper, he has grabbed that opportunity with both hands. Shreyas Iyer is as important as KL Rahul to this side. If he is completely fit to play, there should be no debate on No.4 position,” he added further. The Asia Cup ODI starts on August 30 with Pakistan and Nepal squaring off in the opener.