India will be without KL Rahul for their third Test match against England after scans showed the batter’s knee injury was worse than first feared.
Rahul, 31, played the first Test of this winter’s five-match series, scoring 86 and 22 across his two innings in England’s staggering 28-run win, but withdrew from India’s squad for the second Test along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
India levelled the series with victory in Vizag in the duo’s absence but had hoped both players could return to play a role when the two teams resume battle in Rajkot on Thursday.
While Jadeja is expected to be recalled after working his way back to fitness from a hamstring problem, Rahul has failed to recover in time and did not link up with the rest of Rahul Dravid’s squad on Tuesday.
Rahul’s team-mate at Karnataka, Devdutt Padikkal, has been called up in his place and could feature at the Khandheri Cricket Stadium, with India looking to secure a second successive victory and take the series lead.
At the weekend, it was confirmed that Virat Kohli will play no part in the three remaining Tests for personal reasons. India’s former captain had looked set to be one of the stars of the series before pulling out of Dravid’s squad ahead of the first Test.
More to follow.
MORE : India star Virat Kohli to miss third and fourth Tests against England
MORE : Trim a little Bazball excess, get to the root of some issues and England can still win Test series in India
MORE : England youngster Shoaib Bashir hails Ben Stokes leadership after ‘special’ debut
Share your story or advertise with us: Whatsapp: +2347068606071 Email: info@newspotng.com
