KL Rahul Out of 5th Test Against England; Jasprit Bumrah Set to Rejoin Squad in Dharamshala

In the fifth and final Test match between India and England in Dharamshala, wicketkeeper-battler KL Rahul (whose participation was contingent on fitness) has been ruled out, with star speedster Jasprit Bumrah joining the team instead.

“The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring him and coordinating with specialists in London for further management of his issue,” BCCI said in an official statement on Thursday.

Due to injury, Rahul was unable to participate in the second, third, or fourth Test matches against England after playing in the first game of the series in Hyderabad. The right-arm seamer Bumrah, who was cut from the team for the fourth Test in Ranchi, will reunite with the team in Dharamsala, which will be a significant advantage for the hosts in the fifth Test. The board announced that Mohammed Shami had undergone a successful surgery on Monday to address his right heel issue, along with his fitness status. He is making a good recovery, and he will soon start his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

“Washington Sundar has been released from the squad. He will join Tamil Nadu – his Ranji Trophy side – for their Ranji Trophy Semi-final fixture against Mumbai, starting March 2nd, 2024. He will join the India squad after the completion of the domestic fixture for the fifth Test, if need be,” the statement further reads.
With the five-match Test series in their bag by 3-1, India will lock horns with England in the fifth and last match, starting on March 7 in Dharamshala.

Updated India’s playing eleven for the fifth Test are: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice captain), 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.