Injured KL Rahul Excluded from Third Test Against England, BCCI Official Criticizes Mixed Signals

Senior Indian batsman KL Rahul has been ruled out of the third Test against England, failing to recover fully from a quadriceps strain that also kept him out of the second match in Visakhapatnam. Devdutt Padikkal, the talented left-hander from Karnataka, known for his impressive first-class season, has been named as Rahul’s replacement in the squad.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stated in a press release, “KL Rahul, whose availability for the remaining three Tests was subject to fitness, has been ruled out of the third Test against England in Rajkot. Mr. Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team.”

Rahul will continue his recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, aiming to return for the fourth and fifth Tests. The ongoing series is tied at 1-1.

The BCCI source, speaking anonymously, revealed, “KL Rahul hasn’t yet reported in Rajkot. Ravindra Jadeja, the local boy, has linked up with the team. It was always a case of subject to fitness, and the BCCI medical team is still not confident that he is match fit.”

Devdutt Padikkal, following an impressive performance in his recent Ranji Trophy match where he scored 151, has been in excellent form this season. His consistent run includes a 193 against Punjab and a century against Goa.

The extended break for Rahul has raised concerns about the transparency in communication regarding injury status. A senior BCCI official questioned why Rahul was initially included in the provisional squad if the medical team knew the seriousness of his quad injury. The official also criticized Rahul for posting batting videos on Instagram stories, sending mixed signals about his fitness.

The exclusion of Rahul from the third Test opens up possibilities for Sarfaraz Khan in the middle-order, especially after the dropping of Shreyas Iyer. However, there could be selection challenges if Ravindra Jadeja returns to the playing XI.

India’s updated squad for the third Test includes Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, and Devdutt Padikkal.