India and Pakistan will meet in the much-anticipated Super 4 match of the 2023 Asia Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, September 10. Ahead of the clash, the former India cricketer urged the management to desist from tweaking KL Rahul in the playing XI.

3 things you need to know

• India vs Pakistan got reserve day
• The group stage match between India and Pakistan has been scrapped
• Ishan Kishan played in India’s opening match in the absence of KL Rahul

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Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan said he will pick Rahul, who joined the Indian team for the Super 4 after recovering from injury. Pathan added that Ishan Kishan would not want to miss any practice given the form he is in. Without Rahul, Kishan played in India’s Asia Cup opener against Pakistan and scored an impressive half-century.

“We and the fans make it complicated. I feel that the management is very clear about who they want to play. If you ask me, I will go towards KL Rahul, but the team management may think otherwise. Everyone goes to practice. If I am Ishan Kishan, I will not want to miss any session because I will want to stay fit,” Pathan told Star Sports.

Pathan went on to say that Rahul needs game time ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India in October-November. Rahul last played in IPL 2023 before he was ruled out with a thigh injury.

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“On the other hand, KL Rahul has to do it. No matter how much he trains or goes to the ground, it’s less because the World Cup is also around the corner and you want to train as much as possible, play as many deliveries as possible and be fully prepared. The decision will certainly be interesting. I will go with Rahul,” Pathan added.

“Ishan Kishan, he is a direct replacement. You won’t want to play him instead of Shreyas Iyer. Yes, Shreyas Iyer is coming from injury but he is coming after scoring a lot of runs earlier. KL Rahul also scored a lot of runs before the injury.’