Senior opening batter KL Rahul is all set to miss the upcoming England tour as he is unlikely to recover from a groin injury that forced him out of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa.
Notably, India are expected to play their remaining fifth and final Test match against England of the series, which they lead 2-1. After the rescheduled Test, both sides will face each other in the white ball battle that features three T20Is and as many ODIs.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to send Rahul to Germany for further treatment. Not to mention, the Karanataka batter was named vice-captain under Rohit Sharma for the tour, but the India selectors will now have to name another deputy.
“Rahul has not recovered from his groin injury. The Test squad members are assembling in Mumbai today and will fly out at midnight. Rahul is not travelling with the team. He will take some more time to recover, although he might appear in a fitness test during the weekend. Chances of recovery aren’t looking bright,” said a BCCI source as quoted by TOI.
It is also understood that due to only one Test, the selectors are not thinking about Rahul’s replacement having already some top-order players such as Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara.
“You have Shubman Gill, who has opened in most of his Test matches. Else, Cheteshwar Pujara can also open the batting in case there is any fitness issues for any of the two openers. It was a 17-member squad, and 16 will be going. So that’s not a problem,” the source added.
