KL Rahul currently in UK for further assessment of injury; BCCI reluctant to release Rajat Patidar for Ranji semis - Reports 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are caught in a fix following the lack of clarity surrounding KL Rahul's injury ahead of the fifth and final Test against England in Dharamshala, scheduled to begin from March 7 onwards. The right-handed batter has been unavailable for selection since the first Test in Hyderabad.

According to a report by the Times of India, KL Rahul traveled to the United Kingdom to get a better idea of his injury, while the team management awaited the report before they decided on the selection for the final test. Team India, already quite thin on options, only have under-fire batter Rajat Patidar as a potential middle-order prospect.

The team management has been reportedly puzzled by the entire situation as the scans have not shown any particular issue with Rahul's quadriceps.

However, the player remains unsure of his muscle, especially after undergoing surgery last year following an injury in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). With a lengthy break in place between the fourth and fifth Test, the management expects to seek a final resolution to the issue 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.

With the final Test taking right after the Ranji Trophy semi-finals, the team management is reluctant to release Rajat Patidar. Should a situation arise where Rajat Patidar is not available while KL Rahul has also not recovered, then the Men in Blue will be bereft of options, with uncapped Devdutt Padikkal being the only route.

“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.

Although Team India have secured the series with a game to spare, they will be on the lookout to make the most of the home series in the World Test Championship (WTC). The Men in Blue had won the two-match series in West Indies by a 1-0 margin, while they drew 1-1 in South Africa.

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"My tendon ripped apart from my quadricep" - KL Rahul on his major injury in 2023

Given that KL Rahul is in Team India's wicket-keeping pool for both ODIs and Tests for the time being, the recurring injury to his quadriceps comes across as a huge concern. Even if he had played the entirety of the ongoing series against England, he would not have kept the wickets, with the team management anticipating the same, considering his workload as well as the upcoming 2024 IPL season.

He had opened up about his injury following his comeback midway through 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 resulted in the wicket-keeper batter missing out on the second half of the 2023 IPL season as well as the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval.