Kl Rahul ruled out of 3rd Test
Rajkot, February 12: Due to his inability to fully recover from a quadriceps strain, India’s senior batsman KL Rahul was left off the squad for Monday’s third Test match against England. As a result, he was unable to play in the second game in Visakhapatnam.Rahul has been replaced in the lineup by the gifted left-handed Karnataka player Devdutt Padikkal, who has been having an excellent first-class season.”KL Rahul has been ruled out of the third Test against England in Rajkot. His eligibility for the remaining three Test matches hinged on fitness. Rahul is improving well under the guidance of the BCCI medical team and has attained 90% match fitness, according to a press release from the BCCI.
Continuing his recuperation at Bangalore’s National Cricket Academy, Rahul hopes to return for the fourth and fifth Tests. At 1-1, the series is now tied.Both Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were previously selected by the selectors for the team, pending approval from the BCCI medical staff.”KL Rahul is still not in Rajkot. Ravindra Jadeja, a young man from the area, has joined the team. Under the condition of anonymity, a top BCCI source stated, “It has always been a fitness-related issue, and the BCCI medical team is still not confident that he is match fit.
Ajit Agarkar, the head of the selection committee, noticed that 23-year-old Padikkal, who was watching his innings from the stands, hit 151 runs in his most recent Ranji Trophy performs.This season, Padikkal is playing really well. He opened the first game with a superb 193-run innings against Punjab and then scored 103 runs against Goa. In addition to his Ranji Trophy exploits, Padikkal represented India A in three unofficial Test matches against the England Lions, amassing 105, 65, and 21 runs in three innings. Regarding Rahul, the 31-year-old batsman’s prolonged absence begs the important question of whether the BCCI medical staff and senior Indian players are giving accurate information regarding the players’ injury status. “Why was Rahul first included in the provisional squad if the BCCI medical team was fully aware of the seriousness of his quad injury? A top BCCI official questioned, “And why is the player sending misleading signals by posting batting videos on Instagram?” A senior player who was just benched because of poor form has also been out with a number of injuries that the board has not even acknowledged.
Since Ishan Kishan hasn’t said if he will represent his native state in Ranji Trophy matches, his case is much more intriguing. Given that Shreyas Iyer has also been excluded, Sarfaraz Khan may have an opportunity to take the middle order with Rahul out of the third and potentially the fourth Tests. On the other hand, selection uncertainty may increase if Jadeja makes it to the final eleven. In the two Test matches that have been played so far, Axar Patel has demonstrated strong batting performances. In Visakhapatnam, Kuldeep Yadav was the second-best Indian spinner behind Jasprit Bumrah.With Dhruv Jurel’s form declining, it appears that KS Bharat’s time as the wicketkeeper is running out. The former player might, however, still have one more chance in Rajkot.