IND vs ENG: KL Rahul ruled out of third Test against England in Rajkot, Devdutt Padikkal named as replacement

KL Rahul was named for the final three Tests against England but on condition of fitness. His absence will be a big blow to the Indian team.

KL Rahul has complained of pain in his right quadriceps after the first Test against England.

New Delhi: In a latest development, star Indian batsman KL Rahul has been ruled out of the third Test against England in Rajkot, starting February 15, due to a sore knee. His Karnataka teammate Devdutt Padikkal has been named as a replacement. This is also Paddikal's first call-up for India in Tests. Since there is already no Virat Kohli, Rahul's absence makes things worse for India.

The BCCI dropped Shreyas Iyer for the last three Tests, meaning Gill is the only experienced batsman in the Indian middle order. Rajat Patidar looked solid during his stay in the middle in the second Test, while one of Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Paddikal is set to make his debut in Rajkot.

“KL Rahul, whose availability for the remaining three Tests was subject to eligibility, has been ruled out of the third Test against England in Rajkot. “Rahul has achieved 90 percent match fitness and is making good progress under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team,” BCCI said on Monday.

“He will continue his recovery process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to be fully match fit for the fourth and fifth Tests. The Men's Selection Committee has appointed Devdutt Padikkal as KL Rahul's replacement for the third Test, which begins on February 15, 2024,” it added.

Rahul was initially named for the final three Tests as announced by the BCCI. Moreover, the Indian team is not too sure about Ravindra Jadeja's hamstring injury. “The participation of Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul is subject to the eligibility clearance from the BCCI medical team,” the BCCI had stated in its press release.

Rahul, who scored 86 and 22 in the first Test in Hyderabad, had complained of pain in his right quadriceps and missed the second Test match which India won by 106 runs. He had his scans done at the NCA in Bengaluru, where it was clear that he was not fully fit.

Meanwhile, Paddikal, who rose to fame in IPL, is coming back after a solid domestic season. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, Padikkal has already scored 556 runs at an average of 92.67 for Karnataka, including three centuries. He had also hit a century for India A against England Lions in the unofficial Test.

In total, Padikkal has 31 first-class matches to his credit, scoring 2227 runs at an average of 44.54. He made his India debut in the shortest format of the game after playing two T20Is against Sri Lanka in July 2021. The left-hander was also part of the India A's tour of South Africa and trained with the India regulars during the intra-squad matches.

In his most recent Ranji Trophy match, 23-year-old Padikkal scored 151 as chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar watched him knock from the stands. His best of 193 in the current season was against Tamil Nadu.