KL Rahul out for Champions Trophy a bummer for Indian Team

KL Rahul who is already sitting outside in the IPL with a shoulder injury has revealed he is unlikely to regain full fitness in time for the Champions Trophy.

Recent news came as a huge blow to Indian top batting line up as their in-form batsman KL Rahul has revealed that he might be missing the Champions trophy due to his shoulder injury.

“I have to wait and see but the chances are slim,” he told the Times of India.

Rahul injured his shoulder during the first Test against Australia in Pune in late February. The injury occurred when he hit a six against Steve O’Keefe on day two of the Pune Test. He played with pain not only through the rest of the series but also finished the series as India’s second-highest run-getter, with 393 runs at 65.50 including six fifties in seven innings.

After the series, Rahul travelled to England to undergo surgery where he told reporters that it might take his shoulder “2-3 months” to recover fully.

“The doctor said it will take 2-3 months. Each body is different, so you don’t know how it recovers,” he said. “It is totally up to me and how I well I take care of myself in the rehab phase. For now, it is 2-3 weeks of relaxing and after that, I will start physiotherapy. My rehab will start from there.”

“It is a sports injury but the doctor was surprised it happened because of batting,” he said. “It mostly happens in contact sports where people run into you.

“The physio [Patrick Farhart] was surprised because there was no such major incident. It was that moment in Pune when I played a shot – not the one I got out to, but the one that went for six. That’s when I knew that my shoulder dislocated and went back in. I got out playing the same shot, so by then it was completely damaged. I couldn’t do anything after that.”

Rahul has already missed a number of matches with injury or illness in just three year of his international career.

“It is frustrating for a young man who is new to international cricket – it’s been two-and-a-half years now,” Rahul said. “I’ve already been injured twice or thrice. It makes me think about what I am doing wrong.

“I can’t see any reason why I keep getting injured because I am disciplined with my fitness and my diet and I look after my body. Now is the time to see what I can change in training. To be injury-free is wishful thinking for a sportsman. To be fit and minimize injuries will be my goal once I get back.”