The selection committee recently announced the 15-member squad for the forthcoming Asia Cup. Several experts have given their assessments and the latest to give his view point is former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul returned to the side, while Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel missed out due to injuries.
Jayawardene, who coaches Mumbai Indians, turned his attention to Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s inclusion in the squad.
He backed Virat Kohli to come out of his slump and said the player is going through unfortunate times.
Speaking to Sanjana Ganesan on the ICC review podcast, Mahela said, “Virat is a quality player, and it’s unfortunate what he is going through with at the moment.”
He further agreed with Ricky Ponting’ who said that Virat must be presented with every opportunity to come back in form till the World Cup.
He backed Kohli and said, “Class is permanent, and form is temporary.”
While the former Sri Lanka captain remained confident about Kohli, he had his concerns about KL Rahul’s lack of match fitness.
Notably, Rahul has played no match since the IPL due to injuries and COVID-19.
He said, “Rahul had a brilliant IPL season, but his lack of cricket is a concern.” He further said the sooner Rahul gets back it’s good for him but named Rishabh Pant as an alternative.