Dharmasala, Feb 29: India may have taken an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series against England but the fitness of KL Rahul and the workload of Jasprit Bumrah remains a topic of discussion ahead of the fifth and final Test match. The last chapter of what has been a fantastic series so far will be played in Dharamsala from March 7. The fourth Test ended in India’s favour in four days, which means the players will get a nine-day break. Indian players, in fact, went in different directions from Ranchi. They have been asked to assemble in Chandigarh on March 2. Players from both England and India are likely to travel from Chandigarh to Dharamsala via chartered flights on March 3.The long gap, however, may not be enough for India to get back KL Rahul‘s services. The experienced right-hander is still uncertain for the fifth Test. According to a report in Cricbuzz, Rahul has been sent to London to get an expert opinion as he is still experiencing some discomfort in his right quadriceps, the injury that kept him out from the second, third and fourth Tests of the series.
Rahul, who scored an 86 in the first Test in Hyderabad, has been at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru ever since nursing his right quadriceps injury. Notably, Rahul underwent surgery for the same injury last year.
Those in the know of things continue to stress that Rahul’s injury is not that serious but considering his importance to the team in ODIs and Tests and the dual role he can perform for the side as a keeper, the physios and the management are not willing to take any chances.