The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faces a dilemma due to the uncertainty surrounding KL Rahul‘s injury ahead of the fifth Test against England in Dharamshala, starting from March 7. Rahul has been unavailable for selection since the first Test in Hyderabad.
As per a Times of India report, Rahul traveled to the United Kingdom for a clearer assessment of his injury, and the team management is awaiting the report before finalizing the squad for the last test.
With limited options, Team India is left with Rajat Patidar as a potential middle-order choice, although he has been under scrutiny for his recent performances. The team management is reportedly perplexed by the situation since the scans have not revealed any specific problem with Rahul’s quadriceps.
Yet, the player is uncertain about the condition of his muscle, particularly after undergoing surgery last year due to an injury in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). Given the substantial gap between the fourth and fifth Test, the management anticipates a conclusive resolution to the matter by March 2.
“The medical team thought Rahul was good to go for the last three Tests. But he complained of discomfort. He is a bit concerned about it. He has endured a heavy workload while keeping wickets in the World Cup and the Test series in South Africa,” a BCCI source told TOI.
“Multiple scans have been done on his quads. While there is nothing very concerning, some inflammation has been noted. The reports were sent to the doctor who treated him in England. Eventually, the doctor asked him to travel to England so that he could personally check what’s wrong with Rahul,” the source added.
Given that the final Test coincides with the Ranji Trophy semi-finals, the team management is hesitant to release Rajat Patidar. In the event that Patidar is unavailable, and KL Rahul is still recovering, Team India will be left with limited options, and the uncapped Devdutt Padikkal would be the only alternative.
“Ideally, the team management would want to see Patidar go back to play the Ranji semifinal and find some form. But that depends on Rahul’s availability. If Rahul is unavailable then he may be asked to stay back with the team.”
”Even if Devdutt Padikkal makes his debut in the last Test, the team management needs an extra batter in the team as a concussion substitute,” the source said.
Despite already clinching the series with a match remaining, Team India aims to capitalize on the home series in the World Test Championship (WTC). The Men in Blue secured a 1-0 victory in the two-match series in West Indies and drew 1-1 in South Africa.
“My tendon ripped apart from my quadricep” – KL Rahul talking about his major injury in 2023
KL Rahul’s repeated quadriceps injury is a significant worry as he is currently considered for wicket-keeping in both ODIs and Tests for Team India. Even if he participated in the ongoing series against England, he wouldn’t have taken on the wicket-keeping role.
The team management expected this, taking into account his workload and the upcoming 2024 IPL season. Rahul had previously discussed his injury when making a comeback in the middle of 2023.
“I got injured while trying to chase a ball and my tendon snapped. I had a full-fledged tear, my tendon ripped apart from my quadricep.”
“So when it happened, I was obviously me, my family, the franchise, the team, everybody had their fingers crossed hoping that wasn’t a big tear, it was a small strain or I could get better in a couple of weeks,” the player had told BCCI in an interaction.
The injury led to the wicket-keeper batter missing the latter part of the 2023 IPL season and also the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval.
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