KL Rahul has been ruled out of the upcoming World Test Championship final against Australia next month, and the BCCI on Monday named Ishan Kishan as his replacement.
“KL Rahul suffered an injury to his right upper thigh while fielding during Match 43rd of TATA IPL 2023 between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 1st May. After consultations with specialists, it has been decided that Rahul will undergo surgery at the earliest followed by rehab at the National Cricket Academy for the same. He is ruled out of the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia," read a statement from BCCI.
BCCI also offered an update on Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav, both of whom are nursing injuries, and the BCCI stated that a decision will be taken at a later date regarding the availability of both pacers.
However, Rahul has been ruled out of the upcoming WTC final which will be played at the Oval in London from June 7-11, with Ishan Kishan included in India’s squad in place of Rahul.
Furthermore, the BCCI have also named Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, and Suryakumar Yadav as the three players on the standby list for the WTC final.
“Jaydev Unadkat sustained a left shoulder injury by tripping over the side rope while bowling in the nets. A specialist consultation has been sought and the left-arm fast bowler is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru undergoing strength and rehab sessions for his shoulder. A decision on his participation in the WTC final will be taken at a later stage," informed the statement further.
“Umesh Yadav sustained a minor left hamstring injury during Match 36 of TATA IPL 2023 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 26 April. The fast bowler is currently under the care of the KKR Medical Team and has started low-intensity bowling as part of his rehab process. The BCCI Medical Team is in regular touch with KKR Medical Team and is closely monitoring Umesh’s progress," it read.
India’s squad for 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.