Ishan Kishan has been named as KL Rahul’s replacement in the squad for the ICC World Test Championship final by the All-India Senior Selection Committee.
India will be led by Rohit Sharma in the final which will be played at The Oval from 7-11 June.
Rahul suffered an injury to his right upper thigh while fielding during match 43 of IPL 2023 between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 1 May.
Rahul had posted on Instagram on 5 May: “Absolutely gutted that I won’t be at the Oval next month with Team India. I’ll do everything I can to get back in blue and help my country. That has always been my focus and priority.”
BCCI said in a statement, “After consultations with specialists, it has been decided that Rahul will undergo surgery at the earliest followed by rehab at the National Cricket Academy for the same.”
The BCCI also named Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav as standbys.
Jaydev Unadkat sustained a left shoulder injury by tripping over while bowling in the nets. A specialist consultation has been sought and the left-arm fast bowler is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru undergoing strength and rehab sessions for his shoulder.
A decision on his participation in the WTC final will be taken at a later stage, the BCCI statement said.
Umesh Yadav sustained a minor left hamstring injury during match 36 of IPL 2023 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders on 26 April. The fast bowler is currently under the care of the KKR Medical Team and has started low-intensity bowling as part of his rehab process. “The BCCI Medical Team is in regular touch with KKR Medical Team and is closely monitoring Umesh’s progress,” the statement added.
India’s squad for WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).
Standby players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav.
Australia and India were the top two sides of the 69-Test, two-year cycle which saw the two dominate their rivals before heading into a thrilling four-Test series in India which the hosts won by a narrow 2-1 margin.
Australia finished at the top of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 standings with 11 wins, five draws and three defeats (19 matches) which earned them 152 points and a PCT of 66.67.
India collected 127 points, winning 10 Tests, drawing three and losing five (18 matches) to finish with a 58.8 PCT – second spot in the standings.
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