Major setback for India as star batter ruled out of third Test against England, replacement announced

India's middle-order batter, KL Rahul, has been ruled out of the third Test against England in Rajkot. Despite being scheduled to join the squad along with Jasprit Bumrah on Monday, Rahul remains at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. His exclusion is reportedly precautionary, considering a right quadriceps injury that led to him missing the Visakhapatnam Test. Although initially part of the squad for the last three Tests, Rahul's fitness concerns have prompted his omission.

In a noteworthy development, Devdutt Padikkal has been called up as Rahul's replacement. The 23-year-old Karnataka batter, currently enjoying a successful first-class season, recently scored an impressive 151 against Tamil Nadu. This performance adds to his three centuries in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, including a notable 105 against England Lions in the second unofficial Test.

For the upcoming Test in Rajkot, the Indian team, opting to move past the out-of-form Shreyas Iyer, and veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, is introducing fresh faces. The selectors have maintained their confidence in Rajat Patidar, who made his debut in Visakhapatnam, and Sarfaraz Khan, who is anticipated to make his debut.

The squad for the 3rd Test includes Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, and Devdutt Padikkal.