Reports: BCCI to release Rajat Patidar from India squad to play Ranji Trophy if KL Rahul gets fit

With the fifth Test scheduled to commence on March 07 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, India is aiming to finish the five-match Test series against England with a thumping 4-1 scoreline. The Rohit Sharma-led side took an unassailable 3-1 lead beating them by five wickets in Ranchi and clinched the series.

Ahead of the fifth Test, the Indian team have an injury concern as star batter KL Rahul has not regained his match fitness ahead of the game. According to reports, Rahul has flown to London to consult a specialist for his quadriceps injury. If he fails to recover in time, the team management will have to continue with the struggling Rajat Patidar in the middle-order.

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Notably, the 30-year-old hasn’t got off to a good start to his career having scored just 63 runs from six innings in the series so far. According to a report in Times of India, the team management isn’t willing to continue with Patidar and wants him to play the Ranji Trophy semi-final for Madhya Pradesh against Vidarbha, commencing from March 2.

The management intends to include Rahul in the XI if he recovers in time and is considering releasing Patidar to compete in the Ranji Trophy. Conversely, if Rahul doesn't recover in time, Patidar will stay in the squad. Ideally, the team management would want to see Patidar go back to play the Ranji rophy semi-final and find some much-needed form. 

"But that depends on Rahul’s availability. If Rahul is unavailable, then Patidar may be asked to stay back with the team. Even if Devdutt Padikkal makes his debut in the last Test, the team management needs an extra batter in the team as a concussion substitute,” a source was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

Rahul continues to feel discomfort despite green signal by NCA

In the meantime, Rahul has been persistently troubled by discomfort and pain in his quadriceps, despite being deemed match fit by the NCA medical team. As a result, a decision has been made to send him to London for a thorough examination of the issue.

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“The medical team thought Rahul was good to go for the last three Tests. But he complained of discomfort. He is a bit concerned about it. He has endured a heavy workload while keeping wickets in the World Cup and the Test series in South Africa. Multiple scans have been done on his quads. While there is nothing very concerning, some inflammation has been noted. The reports were sent to the doctor who treated him in England. Eventually, the doctor asked him to travel to England so that he could personally check what’s wrong with Rahul,” the source added.