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Star India batter ruled out (Source: X)
India has levelled the series 1-1 after winning the 2nd Test by 106. The Indian Cricket Board has already announced the side for the last three Test. The Men in Blue are already missing Virat Kohli who intially missed the first two Test citing personal reasons but as per the recent developments he has been ruled out of the series. But ahead of 3rd Test there is another blow for the side KL Rahul who was added for the third Test has been ruled out.
As per the reports by Indian Express, Rahul was not found to be fully fit yet, Jadeja was given the green signal to take the field for the crucial third Test by the medical team of the Indian Cricket Board. The medical team has informed the selectors that the Karnatka-born batter will be under observation for another week before making a decision on his availability.
This is a big blow for the side as he has been the star for the home side across formats since his return from injury. Rahul also played crucial role in the 1st Test but unfortuantely he missed the second due to right quadriceps pain after the first game. Rahul will be replaced by the Test squad will be another Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal.
Devdutt Padikkal replaces Rahul
The left-handed batter has scored, 105, 65 & 21 in his three innings for India A in the two unofficial Tests against England Lions. Speaking after his innings against TN, the opener spoke about bouncing back from health issues to now scoring runs consistently and that he was flexible when it came to batting order. "I don’t mind batting at No.3 and I don’t mind opening either. So that doesn’t really make a huge difference. As you play more and more cricket and as you gain experience, at this level you will naturally be able to play more shots because you will be more confident about your areas."
The absence of Rahul in the middle order will lead a space for Sarfaraz Khan who has been waiting for long period to represent his country in the tradtional format of the game.