India has been handed another massive blow going into the 3rd Test against England on Monday as former vice-captain KL Rahul is reportedly ruled out of the upcoming encounter.
Rohit Sharma’s Team India announced a Virat Kohli-less squad for the remainder of the Test series against England on Saturday. While former skipper Kohli opted out of the remainder of the red-ball series, out-of-form batter Shreyas Iyer was dropped from the Test squad.
KL Rahul Will Not Play In 3rd Test Match
As per the latest developments, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul will not feature only in the 3rd Test against England. Announcing the squad for the 3rd, 4th and 5th Test against England, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed that the participation of Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja is subject to fitness clearance from the medical team.
Why is there KL Rahul Dropped From the Team?
According to a report, it has been learned that Rahul is still working towards attaining match fitness amid the England series. The Indian medical team will observe Rahul’s fitness for one more week before handing out their verdict on the batter’s availability. The former vice-captain complained of right quadriceps pain in the 1st Test against England before he was sidelined with an injury.
Who Will Replace Rahul In 3rd Test?
Since Rahul will take some more time to regain full fitness, India has opted to pick Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal in the Test squad for the England encounter. Former Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Paddikal has joined forces with Rahul at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Padikkal scored 193 against Punjab in the Ranji opener. The Indian batter also registered a century against Goa. In his last three innings for India A, Padikkal has notched up noteworthy scores of 105, 65 and 21.