In a massive blow to Team India and Lucknow Super Giants, KL Rahul has been ruled out of the all-important World Test Championship (WTC) final and remainder of the Indian Premier League 2023. Team India's star batter and LSG skipper Rahul, who got injured during the IPL match against RCB few days back, took to Instagram to announce his unavailability for rest of the glitzy league and WTC final.
Rahul picked up hip injury which he sustained during the match against RCB which saw him quickly clutching at his thigh and then limping from the field while chasing the ball to stop a boundary in the second over.
The news came down as the massive jolt for Team India with just a month left for the marquee WTC final against Australia, which is slated to be played between June 7 to June 11 at the Ovals.
Rahul in his Instagram post said that he will be undergoing a surgery on his thigh shortly and subsequently will be focusing on his rehabilitation and recovery in the coming weeks.
"Update - After careful consideration and consultation with the medical team, it's been concluded that I'll be undergoing a surgery on my thigh shortly. My focus will be on my rehabilitation and recovery in the coming weeks. It's a tough call to make, but I know it's the right one to ensure a full recovery.
As the team captain, it pains me deeply not to be able to be there during this crucial period. But, I'm confident that the boys will rise to the occasion and give their best performance as always. I'll be cheering for them from the sidelines with all of you, watching every game. @lucknowsupergiants," Rahul wrote on Instagram.
"Absolutely gutted that I won't be at the Oval next month with Team India. I'll do everything I can to get back in blue and help my country. That has always been my focus and priority. @indiancricketteam
I want to express gratitude to each one of you - my fans, that gave me the strength to get back up, the LSG management and the
BCCI for their promptness, and my teammates for their unwavering support during this difficult time.
Your encouragement and messages mean a lot to me and motivate me to come back stronger and fitter than ever before.
Meanwhile, I promise to keep you all updated on my progress, and hope to be back on the field sooner than soon. The last few days have been really hard, but I'm determined to come out on top. Injuries are never easy, but I'll give it my all as always. Thank you for all the support and good wishes," Rahul added.
Team India is already grappling with the injury woes with few of its star players (Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant) are already ruled out while some (Jaydev Unadkat) are doubtful for the WTC final.
It will be interesting to see who BCCI will name as Rahul's replacement. Sarfaraz Khan, Hanuma Vihari, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav could be seen coming into the fray for the high-voltage clash at the Ovals.
India's squad for WTC 2023 Final
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.
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