NEW DELHI: Team India on Monday suffered two major blows after all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and middle-order batter KL Rahul have been ruled out of the second England Test due to injuries.
The second Test is scheduled to start in Vizag from February 2. India trail the five-match series 0-1 after losing the first Test by 28 runs on Sunday.
"Jadeja sustained a hamstring injury during play on Day 4 of the first Test in Hyderabad while Rahul complained of a right quadriceps pain," BCCI stated in a media release.
Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar have been added to the squad for the second Test.
"The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring the progress of the duo and the men's selection committee have added Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar to India's squad," the release further added.
It is a maiden national call up for Sarfaraz after scoring truck load of runs in domestic cricket and more recently in the India A series against England Lions.
With Virat Kohli already unavailable for the first two Tests due to personal reasons, the injuries to Jadeja and Rahul have made matters worse for India, who find themselves under pressure after losing only their fourth Test at home since 2013.
Both Rahul and Jadeja had made significant contributions in the first Test before England staged a remarkable comeback to win the game by 28 runs and go 1-0 up in the five-match series. Jadeja snapped up five wickets and made 87 in the first innings while Rahul scored 86.
Jadeja's all-round abilities are invaluable to the team. Off-spinner Sundar, who has shown a lot of promise in his four-Test old career, could replace Jadeja in the playing eleven.
Ever since making his comeback from injury in the Asia Cup in September, Rahul has displayed stellar form in the ODI and Test format. Keeping wickets in the ODI World Cup and more recently in the Test series in South Africa added to his workload.
Though Sarfaraz has got a well-deserved call-up, the chances of Rajat Patidar, who was already part of the 15, making his debut in Vizag are higher.
Saransh Jain has been named as a replacement for Washington Sundar in the India A squad for the third and final multi-day game against England Lions starting February 1 in Ahmedabad while Avesh Khan will continue to travel with his Ranji Trophy team, Madhya Pradesh and will join the Test squad if required.
India's updated Squad for 2nd Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Sourabh Kumar.
(With PTI inputs)
