Rajkot: In a significant setback for the Indian cricket team, middle-order batsman KL Rahul has been ruled out of the upcoming third Test against England in Rajkot. The news comes as a blow for India, already grappling with the absence of key players in the ongoing series.
Rahul, who played in the first Test, missed the second encounter due to a quadriceps injury. Although he was named in the squad for the last three Tests, his participation was contingent on receiving fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team. Unfortunately, the latest update from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) indicates that Rahul has achieved only “90% match fitness” and will continue his recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
The BCCI’s official release stated, “KL Rahul will continue his recovery process at the NCA in Bengaluru to be completely match-fit for the fourth and fifth Test.”
In Rahul’s absence, Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal has been named as his replacement. Padikkal, known for his consistent performances in domestic cricket and for India A, may have the opportunity to make his Test debut in the ongoing series.
India is already grappling with the unavailability of key players in the batting department. Captain Virat Kohli is absent due to personal reasons, and Shreyas Iyer was not included in the team for the last three Tests. Rajat Patidar made his Test debut in Vizag and is expected to retain his place in the XI for the third Test.
The updated India squad for the third Test includes 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, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, and Devdutt Padikkal.
As India faces the challenge of overcoming the absence of key players, fans eagerly await the performance of the reshaped squad in the crucial third Test against England.
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