In a major setback for Team India ahead of the third Test in Rajkot against England, middle-order batter KL Rahul has been ruled out as he failed to regain full fitness.
When the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 17-member squad for the remainder of the Test series, Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja's participation was "subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team".
According to Indian Express, Jadeja cleared the fitness Test and will play in the third Test. However, the medical team told the selectors that Rahul is not fully fit yet. In addition, they want to observe him for one more week to decide if he will be available for the next two Tests. Earlier, Rahul was ruled out of the Vizag Test after he complained of pain in his right quadriceps after a 28-run loss in Hyderabad.
Padikkal to be rewarded for Ranji form
Meanwhile, the BCCI is set to name, Rahul's Karnataka and new Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) teammate Devdutt Padikkal in the squad. Padikkal has been in fine form of late with four centuries from the last seven first-class matches. He scored 151 against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 clash that ended in a draw.
Who will replace Rahul in Rajkot?
With Virat Kohli unavailable for selection and Shreyas Iyer getting dropped, India's middle-order looks inexperienced. Rajat Patidar registered scores of 32 and 9 on his Test debut in Visakhapatnam and is expected to retain his place. Meanwhile, in-form Sarfaraz Khan is in line to make his Test debut.
It will be interesting to see whether the team management drops Kuldeep Yadav or Axar Patel when Jadeja returns to the side. Kuldeep picked up four wickets in the previous Test whereas Patel took two wickets in addition to the crucial 45-run knock in the second innings sharing a partnership with Shubman Gill. Also, the team management has an option to include Washington Sundar in the side.
India's update Test squad versus England
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, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
'Stop overestimating him': Ex-Australia captain Ian Chappell gives strong verdict on star India batter, urges Rohit Sharma to value THIS player
WATCH: KL Rahul drops major fitness update ahead of 3rd Test India vs England Test in Rajkot; know here
