Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given squad update ahead of the fifth and final Test match against England, starting March 7 in Dharamsala.
KL Rahul, whose participation in the final Test was subject to fitness, has been ruled out. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring him and coordinating with specialists in London for further management of his injury.
Rahul played the opening Test of the series in Hyderabad where he scored 86 off 123 balls in the first innings, however, he was ruled out ahead of second Test with a quadriceps injury.
Meanwhile, India Vice-Captain Jasprit Bumrah who was rested for the fourth Test will rejoin the squad in Dharamsala. Bumrah was given rest to manage his workload ahead with the IPL and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup scheduled for later this year in June.
In the three matches of the series, the fast bowler has picked 17 wickets at an average of 13.64 with a Player of the Match performance in the second Test in Visakhapatnam where he snared nine wickets.
Washington Sundar has been released from the squad and will feature for his domestic side Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy semi-final fixture against Mumbai. Sundar didn't feature in any of the matches in the series.
BCCI further updated on Mohammed Shami's injury. Shami successfully underwent surgery on February 26 for his right heel problem and will soon head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to commence his rehabilitation process. Shami last appeared in an international match back in November 2023 when India played Australia in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Final.
India took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series after a victory in Ranchi, marking three successive wins on the trot. The hosts currently stand second on the ICC World Test Championship standings with a 64.58 point percentage while England are placed eighth with a 19.44 point percentage.
Squad for fifth Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.