KL Rahul Ruled Out of Third Test Against England; Devdutt Padikkal to Replace Him

KL Rahul's right quadriceps is hurting again, thus he will not be playing in the third Test against England in Rajkot on Thursday. Devdutt Padikkal of Karnataka will replace him on the team.

Rahul had been cleared to play and was scheduled to come into the team for the third Test on Monday; however, he has had to remain longer at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore due to an unexpected discomfort.


Subject to passing the fitness tests, the middle-order batsman and Ravindra Jadeja were included to the side for the last three Test matches. It is acknowledged that Rahul's exclusion from the Rajkot game was a cautious measure.

In a press statement, the BCCI said, "Rahul has reached 90% match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the medical team." "He will pursue his recuperation at the National Cricket Academy in order to be fully prepared for the upcoming fourth and fifth Test matches."

Being left out of the team means that, in addition to Virat Kohli being out of the series, the batting lineup will be much weaker. Only Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal have prior top-order experience.

The national selectors have already made the decision to consider players other than the injured Shreyas Iyer and seasoned Cheteshwar Pujara. It is anticipated that Rajat Patidar would hold onto his position, with Sarfaraz Khan and Padikkal as the reserve candidates.

With the all-rounder yet to join the team, it is unclear whether Jadeja, who is recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during the first Test in Hyderabad, would be able to participate in the third Test.

This Ranji season, Padikkal, a 23-year-old left-hand batsman, has amassed 556 runs at an average of 92.66 in six innings. He has three centuries to his credit, the biggest being against Punjab in the season's first game.

In Ahmedabad, he also made an impression with India A against the England Lions, scoring 65, 21, and 105.

The Indians will have their first practise on Tuesday; they are currently in Rajkot. Padikkal, who scored 151 and 36 against Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy match that concluded on Monday, will reunite with the team on Tuesday. On Monday, the England squad also traveled from Abu Dhabi to Rajkot.

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