The India opener, who had to be withdrawn from the T20I series against South Africa because of a groin strain, is not certain for the Edgbaston Test. According to a Cricbuzz report, It is not clear how long Rahul will be out of action. He is believed to have reported at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru a few days back and it is learnt that diagnosis of his complaint is not complete yet.
Sources have indicated that his participation in the England series is doubtful. The first batch of the Indian team will fly to England on Friday (June 16) and another batch, including coach Rahul Dravid, Pant and Shreyas Iyer, on June 20.There is no guarantee that the selection committee will name a replacement for Rahul as it had already announced a 17-member squad that includes three openers. Without Rahul, the team for the Test will have Rohit and Shubman Gill as the opener. The one-off Test match will be played from July 1 to 5. This is the rescheduled fifth and final Test match which was postponed to a later date due to COVID-19 cases in the Indian camp. This game was originally scheduled to be played in Manchester in September last year. Notably, India lead the inconclusive series 2-1.
