KL Rahul accused of 'sending wrong signals' despite being sidelined from England Tests due to injury

KL Rahul found himself under scrutiny from a BCCI source after his social media posts showcased his practice sessions which raised eyebrows. A source within the Board accused him of "sending wrong signals" amidst his recent injury setback. Rahul's absence in the third Test against England due to a lingering quadriceps strain, which also sidelined him from the second match, has further intensified the debate.

The Karnataka batter will continue his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru with hopes of returning for further Tests. The selectors had initially included Rahul in the squad alongside Ravindra Jadeja, pending clearance from the BCCI's medical team. However, amidst renewed injury concerns, his fate hangs in the balance, casting a shadow over his return to the playing XI.

"KL Rahul hasn't yet reported in Rajkot. Ravindra Jadeja, the local boy has linked up with the team. It was always a case of subject to fitness and BCCI medical team is still not confident that he is match fit. If the BCCI's medical team knew in first place that Rahul's quad injury is as serious as it looks, why in the first place was he kept in provisional squad. And why is the player sending wrong signals by posting videos of his batting on Instagram stories," a senior BCCI source said as quoted by NDTV Sports.

"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. Mr. Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team," the BCCI had said in a press release.

Also Read: KL Rahul ruled out of Rajkot Test, Devdutt Padikkal named as replacement

Padikkal toiling hard in domestic circuit bears fruit

Devdutt Padikkal, the promising left-handed batter from Karnataka, has been named as Rahul’s replacement for the time being. In his most recent Ranji Trophy match, the 23-year-old scored 151 with the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar watching his knock from the stands. He has been in excellent form this season. Having started with a 193 against Punjab in the opening game, he struck 103 against Goa. Besides his exploits in Ranji, he also scored 105, 65, and 21 in his three innings for India A in the two unofficial Tests against England Lions.