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Champions Trophy: Lokesh Rahul unsure on participation in tournament post shoulder surgery

Rahul hurt his shoulder during the first Test against Australia in the four-match Test series but continued to play battling pain for the entire series, where he slammed six half-centuries.

Champions Trophy: Lokesh Rahul unsure on participation in tournament post shoulder surgery

New Delhi: Indian opener Lokesh Rahul, who was ruled out of the tenth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a shoulder injury, has admitted that he is likely to miss the upcoming Champions Trophy as well.

The Bangalore-based batsman, who underwent an operation on his injured shoulder in England earlier this month, said that he won't be able to recover by the time the tournament kicks off.

"I will just have to wait and see but the chances are very, very slim," Rahul was quoted as saying by the Times of India newspaper.

"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.

"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."

The 25-year-old added that his recovery time could be anywhere between two to three months.

"They said it will take anywhere close to two to three months," he added. "But again, it depends, each body is different, you don`t know how the body recovers.

"It is totally up to me and how I well I take care of myself in the rehab phase. For now, it is just two-three weeks of relaxing and not doing anything and after that maybe I will start physiotherapy and my rehab phase will start from there."

Rahul hurt his shoulder during the first Test against Australia in the four-match Test series but continued to play battling pain for the entire series. The injury, however, did not hamper his performance as he slammed six half-centuries.

The Champions Trophy, to be played between the top eight ODI sides of the world, starts from June 1 in England.

Men in Blue, who are the defending champions, are placed in Group B with neighbours and arch-rivals Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Virat Kohli's men will kick off their campaign on June 4 in a mouth-watering clash against Pakistan.