Team India have suffered a huge blow ahead of the third Test against England. The hosts will be without star batsman KL Rahul for the crucial game, scheduled to be played in Rajkot.
The right-handed batsman missed the second Test of the five-match IND vs ENG series due to a quad strain he had picked in the first Test. Last week, the BCCI included him in the squad for the last three Tests but added that “the participation of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team”. Just like KL Rahul, Jadeja had also missed the second Test due to a hamstring injury.
And according to a report in the Indian Express, KL Rahul has failed to get the green light from the medical team and will miss the third Test. As per the report, the medical team has told the selectors that they would observe Rahul for one more week to take a call on his availability.
KL Rahul out of third Test:
KL Rahul is still at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and has not traveled to Rajkot for the third Test. The team-management is hopeful that he would recover in time for the penultimate match of the series. The news outlet further reported that KL Rahul has been replaced by his Karnataka teammate Devdutt Padikkal.
The left-handed batsman, who is yet to make his debut in international cricket, recently impressed in domestic circuit. He played a fine knock of 151 against Tamil Nadu with chief selector Ajit Agarkar watching the game from the stands. He also impressed for India A against England Lions, registering scores of 105, 65 and 21.
Missing KL Rahul will be a huge blow for Team India who are already without Virat Kohli. The former India skipper has been ruled out of the entire series due to personal reasons. Rahul’s absence means the Indian middle-order will be short on experience for the crucial third Test. The onus will be on players such as Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar and Ravindra Jadeja to deliver with the bat.
