KL Rahul and Axar Patel ruled out of T20I Series

Vice-captain KL Rahul and all-rounder Axar Patel have been ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against the West Indies to be played in Kolkata from 16th February 2022. Rahul sustained an upper left hamstring strain during fielding in the 2nd ODI on 9th February 2022 while Axar has resumed the final stage of his rehabilitation after recently recovering from Covid-19. They will now head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for further management of their injury.  

The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda as replacements.

Rahul missed the first ODI but joined the squad for the second game and batted in the middle order. However, he was replaced by Shreyas Iyer for the third game of the series, with Iyer registering a slow but effective 81 for Team India. On the other hand, Axar hadn't taken part in any of the games and warmed the bench throughout.

India’s T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda.