Devdutt Padikkal to join Indian team on Tuesday, Siraj misses optional training: Report

Devdutt Padikkal will likely join the Indian cricket team on Tuesday, having been named as KL Rahul’s replacement for the third Test against England in Rajkot. The left-handed batter was playing for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy contest versus Tamil Nadu up until Monday.

With chairman of the men’s senior selection committee Ajit Agarkar watching on, Padikkal scored 151 and 36 runs in the high-scoring match that ended in a draw which saw Tamil Nadu finish just 17 runs shy of the 355 run target at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

“Devdutt Padikkal was busy with the Ranji Trophy. The round has ended today only and he will most likely arrive tomorrow and link up with the squad,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by CricketNext.

Padikkal, who has played two T20Is for India, has had a stellar domestic season thus far. He’s struck three hundreds in six innings and accumulated 556 runs at an average of 92.66.

For those already in Rajkot, Mohammed Siraj missed the optional session after arriving late in the city. Meanwhile his teammates held a closed door practice session.

Siraj had missed the second Test in Visakhapatnam but is likely to return to the India XI for the third Test starting 15 February.

“It was an optional session today behind closed doors,” the official says on Siraj’s absence.

KL Rahul ‘90% fit’

KL Rahul has been ruled out of the third Test as he’s not regained full fitness. However, the right-handed batter is getting there and “has reached 90% fitness”, says the report. KL Rahul is on the mend at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. He had uploaded a video of him batting in the nets on Sunday and the 31-year-old is likely to return for the fourth Test in Ranchi.

“KL Rahul, whose availability for the remaining three Tests was subject to fitness, has been ruled out of the third Test against England in Rajkot. Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team. He will continue his recovery process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to be completely match-fit for the fourth and fifth Test,” read a BCCI media advisory.