KL Rahul, India’s wicketkeeper and batter, played only one Test before being ruled out of the second due to a quadriceps injury. He was rested in Visakhapatnam, but despite the long gap before the Rajkot game, Rahul was only 90 percent fit, and the BCCI did not want to risk including him in the squad. He has not yet achieved full fitness and missed the Ranchi Test. According to a new report on Cricbuzz, Rahul’s participation in Dharamsala remains uncertain, as the batter has flown to London for an expert opinion on his injury.
Rahul is still experiencing pain in his right quadriceps, for which he underwent surgery in London. He made his comeback in the Asia Cup 2023, and went on to play in the ODI World Cup and South Africa. However, the pain has returned, and both the BCCI and the National Cricket Academy (NCA) are unwilling to take any chances with him because the cricketer is extremely important to them.
With India already up 3-1 in the series, the BCCI may not want to take any chances with a 90 percent fit Rahul. According to reports, one more batter and one bowler may be rested in Dharamsala as the BCCI seeks to manage player workload.
The good news for Jasprit Bumrah fans is that he is expected to return for the Dharamshala Test. This is the ground that assists the Pacers, and for the first time in the series, we may see three paces in both playing 11s.
Returning to Rahul, he also captains the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League. Rahul is almost certainly going to play in the IPL 2024 because he is so close to regaining full fitness. Even if he misses the first few games, he should be able to return to LSG around the middle of the season.
England is unlikely to make significant changes to the playing 11 because they want to finish the series on a high note, returning with a 3-2 scoreline rather than 4-1. One change to consider is replacing Jonny Bairstow with Dan Lawrence. Lawrence has been warming the bench so far, and with Bairstow in such poor form, he could be tried at No. 5. Knowing the fast pace of the Dharamsala pitch, we might see three pacers in England’s XI in the form of James Anderson, Mark Wood, and Ollie Robinson. According to reports, England and India are scheduled to fly to Dharamsala on March 2.
India’s playing 11 for 5th Test Vs England may look like this: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal (Devdutt Padikkal), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Axar Patel/Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj
England probable playing 11: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow/Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, James Anderson, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson