India batter KL Rahul hit the nets ahead of the third Test against England, starting Thursday, February 15 in Rajkot. Rahul, who missed the second Test due to a quadricep injury, was added to India's squad, along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, for the remaining three Tests. However, Rahul and Jadeja's participation will depend on the fitness clearance from BCCI's medical team. "The national selection committee included senior players Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul in the squad but their inclusion will be subject to clearance by the BCCI's medical team," the BCCI had said in their official squad release.
Taking to his Instagram story on Sunday, Rahul uploaded a video of him batting in the nets ahead of the game in Rajkot later this week.
Rahul had slight right quadricep niggle while Jadeja had injured his hamstring during the 1st Test.
Coming back to India's squad, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were among the notable absentees.
Kohli made him unavailable for the remainder of the series, having earlier pulled out of the squad for the first two Tests, citing personal reason
Meanwhile, Iyer, who complained of groin and lower back stiffness has not been picked. However his medical update has not been provided by the BCCI.
It is believed that Iyer would have been dropped in any case and his injury made the decision easier for selectors.
The only new face in the 17-man squad is Bengal speedster Akash Deep, who has been rewarded for his consistent show in first-class cricket and in recent India A vs England Lions Test series.
Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar has been released with Jadeja coming back while Mohammed Siraj is back in the squad in place of Avesh Khan.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep
(With PTI Inputs)