Middle-order batsman KL Rahul will be away from India’s playing 11 for the fourth Test against England, which begins on Friday in Ranchi.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) simply said on Tuesday that KL Rahul is “ruled out”. They didn’t go into detail. But reports say KL Rahul’s quadriceps injury hasn’t healed. This injury happened right before Vizag’s second Test match.
He missed that match, but on February 12, ahead of the third Test in Rajkot, the BCCI said that he was “90 percent” healthy and doing well at the National Cricket Academy, raising expectations for his return in Ranchi. His participation in the Dharamshala Test on March 7 is now “subject to fitness”.
Vikram Rathour, India’s batting coach, did not provide any specifics in his news conference on Thursday either.
“For me either he [Rahul] is fit or he is not. At the moment he is not. I am not sure about the percent or what stage he is in. Only the medical team can confirm that. As far as we are concerned, he is not available and we are focussing on the team we have.”
Vikram Rathour
KL Rahul performed brilliantly in the first Test in Hyderabad, scoring 86 and 22 while batting at Virat Kohli’s regular position of No. 4. India lost the Test, but rebounded with massive wins in the next two to take the series 2-1.
Who has replaced KL Rahul in India’s 11?
India made only one change to their lineup for the encounter, replacing Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested, with Akash Deep. This means Rajat Patidar, who replaced Rahul after the first Test, has kept his spot.
Rathour indeed shared motivational words for the 30-year-old. His scores until now are 32, 9, 5, and 0.
“We have been having a lot of conversations with him [Patidar]. One thing he has to understand is that this is how this game works. He has been batting really well and scoring a lot of runs to get into the team.”
Vikram Rathour
Vikram Rathour added:
“Two poor games don’t make him a bad player. He just had two tough games, couple of awkward dismissals, which can happen to anyone. There is absolutely no doubt that he is a good player. On his day, he will come up with an impactful innings.”
Vikram Rathour