KL Rahul set to return for 4th Test, Rajat Patidar likely to make way: Report

High-flying Team India are set to receive a major boost ahead of the crucial fourth Test against England. The hosts look set to be boosted by the return of star batsman KL Rahul for the penultimate Test of the five-match series.

The right-handed batsman played the first Test in Hyderabad before missing the second and third Tests due to a quadricep strain he suffered in the series opener. He had to go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for rehab. While the BCCI named him in the squad for the final three Tests of the series, he did not get the green light to play in the recently concluded third Test in Rajkot.

However, he is now available for selection in the fourth Test, according to a report in Sports Tak. The report stated that the Karnataka star has made steady progress and is expected to attain full match fitness before the fourth IND vs ENG Test gets underway.

“As of now, it looks like KL Rahul is reaching his match fitness and will be available for the next game,” a top source in BCCI management told the news outlet.

Who will make way for KL Rahul?

With KL Rahul set to be fully fit for the fourth Test, India will have to make at least one change to their playing eleven. And it looks highly likely that Rajat Patidar will have to make way in the playing eleven for his senior teammate.

With Sarfaraz Khan shining with the bat on his debut in the third Test, Patidar is the likely player to be dropped. While Sarfaraz scored half-centuries in both the innings of the Test, Patidar managed to register scores of 5 and 0. He had failed to impress in the second Test as well, scoring 32 and 9.

Meanwhile, India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is also reportedly set to be rested for the fourth Test as a part of the workload management. He has played in all three games of the series so far. In his absence, Mukesh Kumar is likely to return to the playing eleven.