The Indian team which will be missing a host of first-choice players including opener Rohit Sharma and captain Virat Kohli for the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur starting on November 25; have been hit badly as opener KL Rahul has been ruled out of the entire series as well.
India is scheduled to play two Tests against New Zealand with the second Test match beginning on December 3rd. These two Tests mark the start of the new cycle of the ICC Test Championship.
KL Rahul was supposed to be the senior opener with possibly Mayank Agarwal starting the innings with him due to Rohit’s absence. However, the BCCI has confirmed that Rahul will miss the two-Test series after sustaining a muscle strain on his left thigh.
He will now undergo rehabilitation at NCA in preparation for the series against South Africa scheduled next month. And the BCCI selection committee has named Suryakumar Yadav as his replacement in the Indian squad.
Updated India’s Test squad:
Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Akshar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
(BCCI inputs)
