KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Indian vice-captain KL Rahul is likely to miss the Test series decider between India and England.
- Rahul was earlier ruled out of the South Africa series due to a groin injury.
- According to a report, Hardik Pandya can lead the Indian side in the Ireland series.
“Rahul has not recovered from his groin injury. The Test squad members are assembling in Mumbai today and will fly out midnight. Rahul is not traveling with the team. He will take some more time to recover although he might appear in a fitness test during weekend. Chances of recovery aren’t looking bright,” a BCCI official told news agency PTI.
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Opener Shubman Gill is expected to replace Rahul in the playing XI if the star batter fails to pass the fitness test ahead of the rescheduled Test match against England. “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.
The report suggested that stand-in skipper Pant will not feature in the two T20Is against Ireland during India’s UK tour. All-rounder Pandya has emerged as a frontrunner to lead India in the Ireland series. “While there is Dinesh Karthik, who is the senior-most player in the squad along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, it was Hardik, who was Pant’s designated deputy and hence favorite to lead,” the official added.
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