Rahul ruled out of fifth Test, Bumrah returns to the fold
Senior India batter K.L. Rahul will not feature in the fifth and final Test against England in Dharamshala owing to an injury while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will return to the team, the BCCI said on Thursday.
Rahul, who continues to feel sore in his right quadriceps, has travelled to London to get an expert opinion on his injury.
The wicketkeeperbatter became unavailable after the seriesopener in Hyderabad in January and as per the BCCI, he was 90% fit before the third Test in Rajkot earlier this month.
“Mr. K.L. Rahul, whose participation in the final IDFC First Bank Test was subject to fitness, has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test in Dharamshala. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring him and coordinating with specialists in London for further management of his issue,” the Board said in a release.
Meanwhile Bumrah, who was released from the squad for the fourth Test in Ranchi in line with the team’s workload management policy, will link up with the squad in Dharamsala for the final Test, beginning March 7.
Rahul’s absence from the final Test means Rajat Patidar remained with the squad. Allrounder Washington Sundar has also been released from the squad. “He will join Tamil Nadu — his Ranji Trophy side — for their Ranji Trophy semifinal fixture against Mumbai, starting March 2, 2024. He will join the India squad after the completion of the domestic fixture for the fifth Test, if need be,” the BCCI said.
The squad: Rohit Sharma (Capt.), Jasprit Bumrah (Vicecapt.), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), K.S. Bharat (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep.