India suffered a major setback in the lead-up to the 3rd Test against England as former vice-captain KL Rahul was ruled out of the crucial encounter in Rajkot on Monday. Already missing the services of run-machine Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharms’s Team India is only boosted by the return of veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the 3rd Test against England. Rahul and Jadeja missed Team India's meeting with England in the 2nd Test at Visakhapatnam. India will lock horns with England in the 3rd Test at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday.
Sharing a media advisory ahead of the 3rd Test, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed that Rahul has failed to fully recover from the quadriceps strain that kept him out of the Visakhapatnam encounter. According to the apex cricket board of India, wicketkeeper-batter Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI medical team.
Devdutt Padikkal replaces KL Rahul
Rahul will continue his recovery process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. The Indian batter is expected to return to the Indian playing XI for the 4th and 5th Tests against Ben Stokes' men. The Selection Committee has named Devdutt Padikkal as Rahul’s replacement for the 3rd England Test. According to a report in The Indian Express, Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan will make his debut for India in the 3rd Test against England.
'Sarfaraz will be making his debut'
“Sarfaraz will be making his debut. As KL has been ruled out for this Test, Sarfaraz will be getting his first game,” a source said. Sarfaraz dominated the domestic circuit to open the Test doors in the England series. He was drafted into the Indian squad for the 2nd Test against England. The uncapped Indian batter has amassed 3,912 runs in 45 First-Class matches with an average of 69.85. He has also smashed 14 centuries and 11 half-centuries in the domestic arena. Sarfaraz has a strike rate of 70.48 in the red-ball format.
{{/usCountry}}“Sarfaraz will be making his debut. As KL has been ruled out for this Test, Sarfaraz will be getting his first game,” a source said. Sarfaraz dominated the domestic circuit to open the Test doors in the England series. He was drafted into the Indian squad for the 2nd Test against England. The uncapped Indian batter has amassed 3,912 runs in 45 First-Class matches with an average of 69.85. He has also smashed 14 centuries and 11 half-centuries in the domestic arena. Sarfaraz has a strike rate of 70.48 in the red-ball format.
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