Star batter KL Rahul has been ruled out of the third Test against England, starting this Friday in Rajkot. The 31-year-old, who featured in the series opener in Hyderabad, complained of quadriceps pain and eventually missed the second Test in Visakhapatnam, which India won by 106 runs to level the series 1-1. On Saturday, Rahul was named in the Indian squad for the remaining three Tests, but his availability was subject to fitness clearance from the medical team.
A BCCI release on Monday stated Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well.
“KL Rahul, whose availability for the remaining three Tests was subject to fitness, has been ruled out of the third Test against England in Rajkot. Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team,” the statement read.
“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,” it added.
Devdutt Padikkal has been named Rahul’s replacement in the squad but only for the third Test. The 23-year-old has been in terrific form in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024. He has so far scored 556 runs in 6 innings, including three centuries and a fifty. Playing for India A, the left-hand batter scored 105, 65 & 21 in his three innings in two unofficial Tests against England Lions.
Padikkal, generally a top-order batter, began his Ranji campaign with a blistering 193 against Punjab and then smashed a 105 against Goa in Mysore batting at no. 3. His latest knock of 151 against Tamil Nadu seems to have impressed the selectors who watched the fixture from the Chepauk stands.
Padikkal was troubled by health issues in 2022-23 which limited his appearances to just 5 matches in the previous Ranji season. As told to news agency PTI, the left-hander was dealing with an acute intestinal issue leading to a dip in form as he garnered just 260 runs in seven innings for Karnataka.
However, he has bounced back this season, batting at a new position at No. 3. Speaking about the transition in his form, Padikkal said he was always confident of a strong comeback.
“I wasn’t doing too well in the last couple of years, resulting in a dip in my performance. But, I was always confident about getting back to scoring runs, and also in terms of my health and fitness. So, happy about it,” he told the new agency.
No update on Ravindra Jadeja
Meanwhile, the BCCI is yet to provide an update on Ravindra Jadeja’s recovery. The ace all-rounder picked up a hamstring injury on the penultimate day of the Hyderabad Test and moved to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, skipping the second Test in Visakhapatnam.
Kohli remains unavailable
As stated by the BCCI, Virat Kohli is unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series due to personal reasons. The Indian cricket board further stated that it ‘fully respects and supports Kohli’s decision’.
India’s updated Squad for the third Test: 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.
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