Senior India batter, KL Rahul is unlikely to feature in the final Test against England at Dharamsala due to him still feeling soreness in his right quadriceps.
According to a report from PTI, the 31-year-old batter has travelled to London for a specialist’s opinion on the injury. This might prompt the team to not risk playing him in the final Test starting on March 7, with the series already in the bag.
A source from the Indian Premier League (IPL) was quoted saying, “It is more to get an expert opinion (travel to London). He experienced a bit of pain (right quadriceps) while batting. It is to ensure that he recovers fully as he is a player that the team needs long-term.”
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Rahul had earlier been sidelined during the 2023 edition of the IPL where he hurt himself while fielding for the Lucknow Super Giants. The injury required surgery and rehabilitation which kept him off the field for more than four months.
He made his return in the Super-four fixture in the Asia Cup against Pakistan with a fantastic knock of 111* and then went on to be a crucial part of India’s stellar World Cup run at home. In the tour of South Africa, he managed to hit a century as well in the first Test at Centurion and scored 86 in the first Test against England at Hyderabad.
But since then he has been out of action and missed the next three Tests. In a press release by the BCCI ahead of the Rajkot Test, they mentioned,” KL Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI medical team.”
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With the IPL and T20 World Cup coming up soon, the report mentioned that it is better not to rush Rahul’s return.
The report quoted the anonymous source adding,” There is so much competition coming his way — IPL, he could also be in the T20 World Cup mix. Then we have some important Test series against New Zealand, and Australia later in the year. So, it is better to give him time to recover properly than rushing him.”
Rajat Patidar was roped in as his replacement but has failed to make an impact, unlike the other debutants in Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan. Patidar has only racked up 63 runs in the two Tests he has played which suggests that Devdutt Padikkal could be given a shot in the final Test.
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