KL Rahul ruled out of India vs England 5th Test in Dharamsala, Jasprit Bumrah returns 

Senior Indian batter KL Rahul has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test against England in Dharamsala, which begins on March 7. He has been out of action since the first Test in Hyderabad after complaining of pain in his right quadriceps.

Meanwhile, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was released from the Indian squad for the fourth Test in Ranchi, will rejoin the squad in Dharamsala for the fifth Test. The lead pacer was rested for the Ranchi encounter as part of Team India’s workload management process.

Sharing an update on Rahul, the BCCI said in a press release on Thursday, February 29:

“Mr. KL Rahul, whose participation in the final Test was subject to fitness, has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring him and coordinating with specialists in London for further management of his issue.”

In another significant development, all-rounder Washington Sundar has been released from the squad. He will join Tamil Nadu for their Ranji Trophy 2024 semifinal against Mumbai, which begins on March 2.

“He will join the India squad after the completion of the domestic fixture for the fifth Test, if need be,” the BCCI release added.

The Indian cricket board also provided an update on senior pacer Mohammed Shami, who underwent surgery on February 26 for a right heel problem.

“He is recovering well and will soon head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to commence his rehabilitation process,” the BCCI said.

Shami has not played for India since the 2023 World Cup final loss to Australia in Ahmedabad on November 19.

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Rajat Patidar retains his place in Indian Test squad despite poor show

Madhya Pradesh batter Rajat Patidar has retained his place in the Indian squad for the fifth Test despite his poor performances with the willow. The 30-year-old, who made his debut in the Visakhapatnam Test, has registered scores of 32, 9, 5, 0, 17 and 0 in the series.

According to reports, while Patidar has been retained by the selectors, in-form Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal is likely to be handed his Test debut in Dharamsala.

The 23-year-old scored hundreds against Punjab, Goa and Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy 2024. He also scored a ton for India A in the second unofficial Test against England Lions.

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India’s updated squad for the 5th Test vs England

Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep