Star India batter KL Rahul suffered a minor injury in the first Test against England. For precautionary reasons, the team management decided to keep him out of the Visakhapatnam match, with Rajat Patidar replacing him in the playing XI. He returned home from Hyderabad, while another injured cricketer – Ravindra Jadeja reported at the National Cricket Academy.
Meanwhile, on February 8, Rahul was spotted at Terminal 2 in Mumbai airport. He was casually posing with the fans around him but his travelling details are yet to be confirmed. However, the video of the same immediately went viral on social media, showing his popularity among cricket lovers in India.
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Rahul is expected to return in the third Test in Rajkot but the same is not confirmed as of now. As per reports, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has delayed the squad announcement to have a check on Rahul and Jadeja’s fitness as a call is expected to take place on February 9 or 10.
In case Rahul passes the fitness test, he will replace Shreyas Iyer in the squad, who is likely to miss the remaining three Test matches of the series due to a stiff back.
On the other hand, star batter Virat Kohli is likely to miss the remainder of the series against England. He missed the first two matches, citing personal reasons and is unlikely to return due to a family emergency.
Rahul’s return will boost India’s chances as their middle order looked shaky in the second Test. Apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, all the other batters struggled as it was the bowlers to stepped up to get the job done. Rahul, who made 86 runs in the first Test in Hyderabad, will look forward to stabilising the middle order as he is expected to bat at number four.
Meanwhile, there is no concrete update on Jadeja but he is expected to be playing the third Test in Rajkot.