The Indian cricket team arrived in Ranchi at approximately 4 pm on Tuesday, but KL Rahul did not accompany the squad on the private charter from Rajkot. Despite expectations of his direct joining in Ranchi, a late-night press release from the Indian cricket board stated that he is “ruled out of the 4th Test.” His availability for the final Test match in Dharamsala depends on his fitness. This decision comes as a result of the quadriceps injury he sustained during the series’ first match in Hyderabad. However, News 18 quotes sources as saying that though has regained his fitness levels, he isn’t confident confident enough to return to the field for that fixture.
Rahul, who was sidelined for the second and third Tests after he complained of pain in his right quadriceps, was reported to have reached a fitness level of 90 percent last week. Rahul will continue with his recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
With Virat Kohli already absent due to personal reasons, India finds themselves lacking in batting experience. KL Rahul’s unavailability due to injury adds further complexity to the situation. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, the fast bowler, has been relieved from the Indian squad for the upcoming fourth Test against England. Additionally, the decision not to include Shreyas Iyer for the remaining three Tests also contributes to the challenge.
After he participated in the Hyderabad Test against England, where he scored 86 and 22 in the respective innings, KL Rahul, who boasts 50 Test appearances for India and eight centuries, has been absent from action. The right-handed batsman reported pain in his right quadriceps during the Test and was subsequently ruled out of the second Test. Despite being named in the squad for the remainder of the series, his inclusion was contingent upon his fitness. Unfortunately, he was unable to regain fitness in time for the Rajkot Test and was replaced by Devdutt Padikkal in the squad. It was anticipated that Rahul would make a return to the Playing XI in Ranchi.
Padikkal, who has taken Rahul’s place in the squad, has previously represented India in T20 cricket but has not yet made his Test debut. With the series tied at 1-1, India and England are gearing up for the third Test starting in Rajkot on Thursday.
In the past 10 months, the 31-year-old Rahul has faced persistent fitness issues. He underwent thigh surgery following an injury during IPL 2023, leading to a significant absence from games. However, since his comeback at the Asia Cup, Rahul had shown exceptional form in both Test and ODI formats before encountering this recent setback.
Rahul’s exclusion has come as a setback to his fans who love seeing their favourite player on the ground smashing away for India’s win. Only time will tell when he will be back on the field, recovered and energised to perform his best.
India currently holds a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Following England’s victory in the first Test in Hyderabad, India responded strongly with convincing wins in the second (by 106 runs) and third (by 434 runs) Tests.
Furthermore, India occupies the second position in the World Test Championship Standings with a percentage of 59.52%, whereas England finds themselves positioned near the bottom in eighth place with a percentage of 21.87%.
India squad for the 4th Test: Rohit Sharma as captain, alongside players such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel as wicketkeeper, KS Bharat also as wicketkeeper, Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, and Akash Deep.
