The Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) on Friday (February 11) confirmed that KL Rahul and Akshar Patel have been ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against the West Indies.

Rahul, who is not featuring in the third and final ODI against the West Indies, picked up a hamstring injury in the second ODI two days back. On the other hand, Akshar is undergoing rehabilitation after recovering from COVID-19.

“Rahul sustained an upper left hamstring strain during fielding in the 2nd ODI on 9th February 2022 while Akshar has resumed the final stage of his rehabilitation after recently recovering from Covid-19. They will now head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for further management of their injury,” BCCI’s official release stated.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda as replacements,” it added.

The T20I series is slated to get underway on February 16. All three games will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

India’s T20I Squad:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda.