KL Rahul has been ruled out of Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to injury as the Indian cricket team suffered yet another injury blow, the Board of Control for Cricket in India informed on Tuesday.
Rahul sprained his left wrist while batting in the nets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during India’s practice session on Saturday.
The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman will not be available for the remaining two Tests of the four-match series against Australia as he will need about three weeks time to recover.
Rahul will now return to India and head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for further rehabilitation of his injury, the board confirmed.
The right-hander wasn’t a part of the playing XI in the first two Tests but was a key member of the Indian squad in the white-ball leg. His exploits in the limited-overs formats over the past few years made him a solid option for the middle-order, in case India needed to shore up their batting.
India have had to deal with a number of setbacks in the lead-up to and during the ongoing Test series against Australia.
Ishant Sharma was the first big name to miss out on the tour, with Mohammed Shami being forced to head home after injuring his arm during India’s second Test victory in Melbourne. Umesh Yadav, too, has been ruled out with a calf injury.
Regular skipper Virat Kohli returned home after the MCG Test to attend the birth of his first child.
The third Test, to be played at Sydney Cricket Ground, begins on Thursday where India will be bolstered by the return of Rohit Sharma.