KL Rahul and Japsrit Bumrah. (Photo Source: BCCI)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the fifth and final Test against England on Thursday, February 29. Star batter KL Rahul has been ruled out of the final game as well after missing the second, third and fourth Tests of the series. The 31-year-old complained of right quadriceps pain after the first Test in Hyderabad and failed to regain match fitness for the third and fourth matches after he was added to the squad.
He’s being monitored by the board’s medical team which is coordinating with specialists in London for further management of his issue.
Apart from Rahul, speedster Jasprit Bumrah has been brought back into the team after being released ahead of the fourth Test in Ranchi to manage his workload. Notably, the 30-year-old has played five Tests since December 26, 2023 and has bowled 129.2 overs across these games.
Bumrah also finished as the leading wicket-taker of recent two-match Test series against South Africa picking 12 wickets from three innings at an average of 12.91. In the ongoing series, the pace spearhead is the second wicket-taker of the series so far with 17 wickets to his name from six innings at an average of 13.64 and an economy of 2.87. He will join the squad in Dharamsala for the final match of the series beginning from March 07 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.
Furthermore, all-rounder Washington Sundar has been released from the squad to participate in the Ranji Trophy semi-final for Tamil Nadu against Mumbai beginning from March 02. He will join the squad after the completion of the game if the team needs him.
Mohammed Shami to join NCA after successful surgery
In the media release, BCCI also gave an update on fast bowler Mohammed Shami’s successful surgery for his right-heel problem. The speedster is recovering well and will soon head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to begin his rehabilitation process.
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India’s updated squad for the 5th Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
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