Team India’s opening batsman KL Rahul has ruled himself out of the upcoming Champions Trophy, scheduled to begin on June 1 in England.
Speaking to TOI on Thursday, when asked about his chances of playing in the tournament, Rahul said, “I will just have to wait and see but the chances are very, very slim.”
The 25-year-old, who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore, earlier ruled himself out of the ongoing Indian Premier League after sustaining an injury to his shoulder during the first Test against Australia in Pune.
“I had torn my labrum (a ring of fibrocartilage). I couldn’t get into a few positions because my shoulder kept dislocating – popped out and popped back in,” said Rahul. “That’s why I couldn’t play a lot of shots, had to restrict myself. I played with a lot of medication and taping. Surgery was to fix it on the inside.”
Rahul also said that the recovery was supposed to take close to ‘2-3 months’ but it depends on every kind of body.
“It was just that moment in Pune when I played that shot – not the one I got out but the one that I hit that went for six (lofted Steve O’Keefe down the ground), said Rahul. “That’s when I knew that my shoulder dislocated and went back in. Obviously I got out again playing the same shot, so by then I think it was completely damaged, couldn’t do anything after that,” the star batsman added.
