REVEALED: Why KL Rahul is missing 2nd ODI vs England and who replaces him

India was forced into a late change for the second ODI against England after senior batter KL Rahul was ruled out of the playing XI due to illness. The visitors, who entered the contest with a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, confirmed the change during the toss, with Ishan Kishan returning to the side as Rahul's replacement.

The update came as India also received a boost with captain Shubman Gill being declared fit despite picking up an injury during the opening ODI, allowing him to continue leading the side in the crucial encounter.

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Shubman Gill reveals why KL Rahul is not playing

Speaking at the toss, Gill confirmed that Rahul was unavailable after falling sick and would not feature in the second ODI.

"Yeah, we've got one change, KL is sick, so he misses out, and Ishan Kishan comes back in."

Apart from KL Rahul's absence, India retained the same combination that secured a six-wicket victory in the series opener. Kishan, who has been in and out of the ODI setup, was handed an immediate opportunity to fill the void left by the experienced wicketkeeper-batter.

England captain Harry Brook, meanwhile, won the toss and elected to bowl first, believing the surface would provide assistance to the seamers early in the innings.

KL Rahul had a quiet outing in the series opener

Rahul endured a disappointing outing in the first ODI against England on July 14, managing just one run off three deliveries before being dismissed. The experienced batter failed to make an impact as India's middle order was tested during the chase.

Despite Rahul's early departure, India successfully hunted down the target to register a convincing six-wicket victory and move 1-0 ahead in the three-match series. With KL Rahul unavailable due to illness for the second ODI, the responsibility now falls on Kishan to make the most of his opportunity and strengthen his case in India's ODI setup.

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India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna

England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood