Indian cricketer KL Rahul will miss the third Test against England, happening in Rajkot. The game starts Thursday. He’s dealing with pain in his right thigh muscle.
He first reported pain during the initial Test and sat out the next game too. Even though KL Rahul stayed with the team for the final three Tests and seemed to be getting better during the pause of 10 days between games, the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) declared that he’s not yet prepared to participate in the playing 11.
“Mr. Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team. He will continue his recovery process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to be completely match-fit for the fourth and fifth Test.”
BCCI Official
India will surely miss KL Rahul. When Virat Kohli couldn’t play, Rahul took his No. 4 position and performed exceptionally in the first Test, scoring the most runs for India, even though they lost. Without him, the team loses a valuable player from the middle over.
India now hopes that his recuperation continues and he returns for the fourth Test in Ranchi, which begins on February 23. The hosts may need him even more for the fifth Test at Dharamshala, where pacers are expected to thrive.
Who has replaced KL Rahul in India’s 11?
Rajat Patidar, a new player, filled KL Rahul’s position in Visakhapatnam’s team. His test performance was average. If Rahul had been healthy, he would have replaced Shreyas Iyer. Poor performance caused Iyer’s removal from the team in the initial two matches.
Patidar has kept his position at No. 4 in Rajkot, with Sarfaraz Khan making his debut to replace Shreyas and bat at No. 5. Aside from them, wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel got his chance to replace KS Bharat.