Saikiran Uppuluri
Saikiran Uppuluri
India’s middle-order batsman KL Rahul has been officially ruled out of the fourth Test against England in Ranchi due to a quadriceps injury. This injury has plagued him since the series opener in Hyderabad, where he scored 86 and 22. Despite reaching 90% match fitness ahead of the third Test in Rajkot, Rahul’s recovery has not been sufficient for him to return to the squad. His availability even for the final Test in Dharamsala remains uncertain, subject to his fitness. Fellow Karnataka batsman Devdutt Padikkal, who earned his maiden Test call-up on the back of impressive first-class form, retains his place in the squad.
Rahul, 31, has faced a series of fitness issues in the last 10 months. He underwent thigh surgery after an injury during IPL 2023, missing a significant portion of games. However, since his return at the Asia Cup, Rahul had been in excellent form across both Test and ODI formats before this setback.
In another development, pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been granted rest for the Ranchi Test. This decision is part of the team management’s workload management strategy, considering Bumrah’s heavy workload in the series and the upcoming schedule, which includes the IPL followed by the T20 World Cup. Bumrah, who has been in outstanding form, taking 17 wickets at an average of 13.64 in the series, has already bowled 80.5 overs in the first three Tests.
Mukesh Kumar, who was released from the squad for the third Test, will rejoin the team after an impressive performance for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, where he took a career-best match haul of 10 for 50 against Bihar. His uncapped statemate Akash Deep will serve as the third seamer in the squad.
The Indian squad for the fourth Test includes Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, and Akash Deep.
