Dubai: The Indian cricket team, reeling under the stunning defeat at the hands of England in the first Test at Hyderabad on Sunday, suffered a twin blow to their aspirations of levelling the series in the second Test when ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and the dependable KL Rahul have bee ruled out of the second Test to begin at Visakhapatnam on February 2.
“Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul have been ruled out of the second IDFC First Bank Test against England in Visakhapatnam. Jadeja sustained a hamstring injury during play on Day 4 of the first Test in Hyderabad while Rahul complained of a right quadriceps pain. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring the progress of the duo,” said a statement from the Indian cricket board on Monday.
The latest injury blow compounds India’s woes in the absence of talismanic batter Virat Kohli, who withdrew from the first two Tests due to personal reasons.
Replacements
The Men’s Selection Committee have added Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar to India’s squad. Saransh Jain has been named as a replacement for Washington Sundar in the India A squad for the third and final multi-day game against England Lions, starting on February 1 in Ahmedabad.
Avesh Khan will continue to travel with his Ranji Trophy team, Madhya Pradesh and will join the Test squad if required.
India squad:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Sourabh Kumar.
