Amid concerns over fitness, KL Rahul has given Indian fans hope by virtually confirming his fitness. The wicketkeeper batter had sustained a quadricep injury in the India vs England 1st Test in Hyderabad and was therefore ruled out of the second Test.
Although India lost the first match, he starred with the bat, scoring 108 runs in the match. In his absence, the Indian middle order, with Shreyas Iyer and debutant Rajat Patidar, struggled to make full use of the opportunity.
However, his return to the side for the third Test in Rajkot bodes well for the India cricket team. Since making his return to the Indian side in September, Rahul has been on a great run. He had a fantastic time in the Asia Cup 2023 and the ODI World Cup 2023 with the bat and gloves.
The batter replicated that success in South Africa as well, scoring a stunning ton to help India level the series. He then top-scored in the first Test again as one of the most experienced batters in the Indian lineup.
In the absence of Virat Kohli at number 4, India and skipper Rohit Sharma will be hoping that KL Rahul is present to provide the necessary experience.
India squad of remaining Tests
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, Akash Deep.
