India have been dealt a blow in the lead-up to the Rajkot Test against England with KL Rahul ruled out due to a sore knee. He had missed the second Test in Visakhapatnam too after complaining of pain in his right quadriceps and following scans done in Bangalore it became clear that he wasn’t up to full fitness. Originally, he was due to link up with the squad on Tuesday but now it will be his Karnataka team-mate Devdutt Padikkal who will be joining them.
Already light on batting experience with Virat Kohli missing due to personal reasons, Rahul’s absence further complicates matters for India, who also didn’t pick Shreyas Iyer for the remaining three Tests. That aside, it isn’t confirmed yet whether Ravindra Jadeja has recovered from the hamstring injury he had suffered during the first Test in Hyderabad. Jadeja is in the squad to play in Rajkot, which is his home ground, but his participation is pending fitness clearance.
This article was originally published by Espncricinfo.com. Read the original article here.