IND vs ENG: India suffered another big blow as the middle-order batter KL Rahul has been ruled out of the upcoming Test against England in Rajkot. Left-handed batter, Devdutt Padikkal has been named as his replacement for the third Test. Rahul missed the previous test due to quadriceps pain, where India won the game by 106 runs, helped by a brilliant double hundred by Yashasvi Jaiswal.Rahul along with the pacer Jasprit Bumrah were expected to join the India squad in Rajkot by Monday. Despite the injury, he had been named as part of the contingent for the last three Tests. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mentioned that the selection of the star batter will be subject to fitness. 🚨 NEWS 🚨: KL Rahul ruled out of third #INDvENG Test, Devdutt Padikkal named replacement. #TeamIndia | @IDFCFIRSTBankDetails 🔽https://t.co/ko8Ubvk9uU— BCCI (@BCCI) February 12, 2024In a media release, the BCCI said, Mr. Rahul has reached 90 percent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team. He will continue his recovery process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to be completely match-fit for the fourth and fifth Test.Devdutt Padikkal across formats since November 25th, 2023:117, 70, 93*, 114, 30, 193, 42, 31, 103, 105, 65, 21 & 151Padikkal is taking the game to the next level this season. 🤯👌 pic.twitter.com/SuKmUg70BT— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 10, 2024Impeccable Ranji run propels Devdutt Padikkal in Indias TestThe 23-year-old batter, Devdutt Padikkal receives the maiden call-up in Tests on the back of an impeccable first-class seasons performance. The Karnataka batter has hammered 151 against Tamil Nadu in a recently concluded match. He has hammered a third hundred in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. The sensational batter has smashed 105 against the England Lions in the second unofficial Test.BCCI ignore Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane Meanwhile, the selection committee hasnt considered the name of out-of-form Shreyas Iyer, and veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. India is already missing the services of stalwart batter Virat Kohli. India is relying on fresh faces which includes the likes of Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan. Notably, Patidar made his debut on the second Tets while Sarfaraz is likely to make his debut on the third Test.Indias Squad for Third TestRohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Devdutt Padikkal.
