KL Rahul ruled out of Rajkot Test vs England, Devdutt Padikkal to be named as replacement - Reports

After being included in India’s squad for the last three Tests against England, batsman KL Rahul has been ruled out from the third Test starting from February 15. As per a report by the Indian Express, Rahul was being monitored by BCCI’s medical team and they felt that the Karnataka batsman was not fully fit.

He will be examined again after a week. However, while announcing the squad for the last three Tests, the Indian selectors had mentioned that both Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja would be subjected to fitness.

KL Rahul ruled out of the third Test against England: Reports

KL Rahul will be replaced by Devdutt Padikkal who played a brilliant innings of 151 runs against Tamil Nadu and the match was watched by the Indian selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar.

The right-handed batsman recently uploaded a video of him practising in the nets ahead of the third IND vs ENG Test match on his Instagram story. Rahul showcased a decent batting performance in the first Test match of the series and played an innings of 86 runs and helped India put up a decent first innings score.

The last year was not easy for KL Rahul as a cricketer. Rahul was not in decent touch with the bat due to which he lost his place in the Test side. Rahul also sustained an injury during the Indian Premier League 2023 and was away from the field for 4 months.

However, the Karnataka batsman showcased a brilliant comeback and on his international return, he slammed a century against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023. He also played some decent knocks in the ODI World Cup 2023. Rahul’s most remembered knock of 95* runs came against Australia in India’s opening game of the tournament.

KL Rahul was also excellent behind the stumps and took some fabulous catches behind the stumps. Due to the same reason, he was also adjudged with the fielding medal on many occasions.

Injuries and India have had a deep love affair for the last 2 years. Apart from KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer missed the major part of international cricket due to their respective injuries. On the other hand, Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was also ruled out from the 2nd Test due to a niggle in his hamstring. Jadeja was also amongst India’s top performers in the first Test. Jadeja was India’s top run scorer in the first innings and he also picked up 3 wickets in the first innings with the ball.

With KL Rahul reported to miss the third Test match, it is the best chance for Sarfaraz Khan to find a place in the side. Shreyas Iyer has been excluded from the squad due to his poor performance in the first two games. KS Bharat’s form is also a concern for India, who has been handed over the wicket-keeping responsibilities in the absence of Rahul.

The Indian team would be hoping to fix up all their issues and win the third Test to make a lead in the Test series.