Team India suffered an injury blow hours before the start of the first Test against England, as spin bowling all-rounder Akshar Patel got ruled out of the series opener in Chennai due to pain in his left knee.

Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem from Jharkhand and Rajasthan leg-spinner Rahul Chahar have been drafted in the main squad from the list of standby players.

"Akshar Patel has been ruled out of the first Test against England. The all-rounder complained of pain in his left knee during Team India's optional training session on Thursday," BCCI secretary Jay Shah stated in a media release.

"He is being monitored by the BCCI Medical Team and while his detailed reports are awaited, he will not be available for selection for the opening match," he added.

It is worth mentioning here that Akshar was included in the squad to get a like-for-like replacement for star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who sustained a thumb injury during the recently held Australia tour.

In fact, Akshar was likely to make his Test debut at Chepauk on Friday (February 5).

"The All-India Senior Selection Committee has added spinners Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar to India's squad. Both Nadeem and Chahar have been training with Team India as part of the standby group of players," the release also stated.