Indian star KL Rahul will finally make his long-awaited return to competitive cricket next month when the Men in Blue take on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series.

Before the ODIs, India and Sri Lanka will also play a 3-match T20I series. However, the right-handed batsman is not part of the T20I squad and will have to wait a little longer to return to action for Team India. KL Rahul has not played a competitive match since May this year. His last appearance was in the IPL 2024, where he played for Lucknow Super Giants.

Last month, he was in contention for a spot in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup but failed to make it into the list as the selectors picked Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as wicketkeepers ahead of him. KL Rahul will definitely have something to prove in the upcoming series as he will look to get off to a flying start.

And ahead of the series, the Karnataka star was seen sweating it out in the nets at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. He himself shared the video in which he can be seen leaving the bowlers in the dust. He played a brilliant pull shot against Yash Dayal before a stunning straight drive against another player.

Watch KL Rahul play aggressive shots during training:

🏏 photo.twitter.com/kLpH4LFIyU

– KL Rahul (@klrahul) July 24, 2024

Apart from losing his place in the Indian T20I squad, KL Rahul also failed to secure the vice-captaincy of the Indian ODI team. After leading India in the ODI series against South Africa last year, he would have fancied himself a chance of being named the vice-captain of the team for the upcoming series.

However, the selectors and team management decided to give the responsibility to Shubman Gill in both white-ball formats. However, KL Rahul remains an integral member of the ODI squad. He performed well in the ODI World Cup last year and will be hoping to get the nod ahead of Pant in the playing XI.

Meanwhile, the upcoming series will also mark his reunion with head coach Gautam Gambhir. Rahul and Gambhir worked together for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022 and 2023. While Rahul was the captain of the team, Gambhir was the mentor. Earlier this year, Gambhir parted ways with LSG to join Kolkata Knight Riders.