WTC: Ishan to replace injured KL Rahul

Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been named as KL Rahul’s India’s ICC World Test Championship final against Australia, which will be played from June 7 onwards at The Oval, London. Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav have been named as stand-by players for the high-stakes match, as per a press release from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). KL Rahul suffered an injury to his right upper thigh while fielding during Match 43rd of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 1. After consultations with specialists, it has been decided that Rahul will undergo surgery at the earliest followed by rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for the same. He is ruled out of the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. Jaydev Unadkat sustained a left shoulder injury after tripping on the side rope while bowling in the nets. A specialist consultation has been sought and the left-arm fast bowler is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru undergoing strength and rehab sessions for his shoulder. A decision on his participation in the WTC final will be taken at a later stage. Umesh Yadav sustained a minor left hamstring injury during Match 36 of IPL 2023 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 26. The fast bowler is currently under the care of the KKR Medical Team and has started low-intensity bowling as part of his rehab process. The BCCI Medical Team is in regular touch with KKR Medical Team and is closely monitoring Umesh’s progress. India’s squad for WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk)