In a surprising twist, former Indian cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, known for his frank and sometimes harsh opinions, has revealed a more compassionate side. Despite his reputation as a strong critic of KL Rahul, the talented wicketkeeper-batter, Prasad recently admitted to secretly praying for Rahul's success in his comeback journey during the upcoming Asia Cup 2023.
Rahul, a highly respected batter, has secured a place in Team India's 17-man squad for the upcoming continental event, which is scheduled to begin on August 30 in Multan. What makes this even more intriguing is that Rahul has made the cut despite dealing with a persistent injury, adding further significance to his selection.
The day after Rahul's inclusion in the Asia Cup squad, Venkatesh Prasad surprised everyone by sharing a picture with the renowned Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty, who also happens to be Rahul's father-in-law. This unexpected duo embarked on a visit to the Swami Narayan temple in New Jersey, infusing their camaraderie with a touch of spirituality.
Venkatesh Prasad took to X (previously known as Twitter) to share a selfie with Shetty. He captioned the post:
“Visited the Swami Narayan temple in New Jersey with Anna. Prayed for the well-being of all Bharatvasis & for the Indian Team to do well in the World Cup. Also secretly prayed for KL to smash it to all corners, have a great world cup, and silence his critics like me. Sab khush rahein. (Hope everybody is happy).”
Not long ago, Prasad launched a scathing attack on Rahul following his failure to perform for Team India in the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy. As a consequence, Rahul was stripped of his vice-captaincy position after his poor performance in Test cricket. Unfortunately, Rahul's misfortune continued when he sustained an injury while fielding for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 1st. Consequently, Rahul was unable to participate in the entire IPL 2023 and missed the summit clash of the ICC World Test Championship due to a thigh injury.
Since the IPL 2023, the 32-year-old Rahul has not participated in any competitive cricket. During the announcement of India's squad for the Asia Cup, chief selector Ajit Agarkar disclosed that Rahul had developed a niggle prior to his anticipated return.
“It is not the original injury. There is a niggle. That is why Sanju is travelling (to Sri Lanka). We are expecting Rahul to be fit. If not the start of Asia Cup may be by the second or the third game. Shreyas Iyer is fully fit,” Agarkar said.
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