3rd Test Vs England: Another Blow For India As KL Rahul Is Ruled Out; 2 Debutants Likely

Mumbai: Team India were dealt another body blow on Monday as KL Rahul was ruled out of the crucial third Test against England.

The stylish right-hander, who had missed the second match due to injury, had been included in the squad for the third Test subject to fitness.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that the Karnataka batter hasn’t fully recovered from his quadriceps injury.

“Mr Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team. He will continue his recovery process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to be completely match-fit for the fourth and fifth Test,” BCCI stated.

The selection committee named Rahul’s Karnataka teammate Devdutt Padikkal as his replacement for the third Test, which will begin in Rajkot on February 15.

With Virat Kohli unavailable for the entire series due to personal reasons and Shreyas Iyer being dropped, the Indian batting line-up will wear an inexperienced look at Rajkot.

Skipper Rohit Sharma (56 Tests) and Shubman Gill (22 Tests) apart, Yashasvi Jaiswal has played 6 and Rajat Patidar 1. Sarfaraz Khan is almost sure to make his Test debut, as also wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel who is being tipped to replace KS Bharat.

Uncapped left-hander Paddikal may also be included in the playing XI to bolster the batting strength, in case the home team decides to go in with four specialist bowlers.

Updated India Squad

Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Devdutt Padikkal.

* Jadeja’s inclusion is subject to fitness