With KL Rahul injured, India have a huge hole to fill. He was picked not only for his batting but also as a backup wicketkeping option. KL Rahul has been replaced in India’s World Test Championship (WTC) final lineup by Ishan Kishan. The game will take place at the Oval from June 7–11.
On Monday (May 8), the All-India Senior Selection Committee added Kishan after Rauhl was forced to withdraw due to injury. On May 1, while playing defense in the IPL 2023 game between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rahul sustained an injury to his right upper thigh.
Rahul will have surgery as soon as possible, and after seeing a specialist, he will receive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. As standby players for the WTC final, the board also named Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, and Suryakumar Yadav.
KL Rahul’s post after getting injured
“After careful consideration and consultation with the medical team, it’s been concluded that I’ll be undergoing a surgery on my thigh shortly. My focus will be on my rehabilitation and recovery in the coming weeks. It’s a tough call to make, but I know it’s the right one to ensure a full recovery,” Rahul captioned his post.
“As the team captain, it pains me deeply not to be able to be there during this crucial period. But, I’m confident that the boys will rise to the occasion and give their best performance as always. I’ll be cheering for them from the sidelines with all of you, watching every game. @lucknowsupergiants.
“Absolutely gutted that I won’t be at the Oval next month with Team India. I’ll do everything I can to get back in blue and help my country. That has always been my focus and priority. @indiancricketteam”
For the Indian squad, who is already without Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer due to injuries, Rahul’s injury comes at the worst possible time. Rahul’s absence hurts both LSG, who will now be without their skipper, as well as Team India, who was counting on his expertise to stabilise the middle order.
India’s squad for the WTC final:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).
Standby players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav.
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