Following the conclusion of the Vizag test, India will name its squad for the remaining three Tests against England, the first of which starts from the 26th of November at the IS Bindra Cricket stadium in Mohali.
While wholesale changes are not expected, one alteration that could happen is the inclusion of KL Rahul, who is once again fit after injury, back into the squad.
The 24-year-old, who is at present representing his state side Karnataka in the latest stage of the Ranji Trophy, made a fine return back to the game with a fifty plus score in the first innings against Team Rajasthan in Vizianagaram and admitted that he was feeling good and hoped to carry the same vein of form into the Indian team as well.
“I did spend a lot of time in the nets. This injury didn't stop me from batting. I just want to continue to bat the same way I batted here. Hopefully , I can bat the same way when I'm back in the Indian team.
“I'm feeling good. It's important to get some match practice. You can spend a lot of time in the gym, doing your rehab and training but you are never fully healed until you play a few games. That way, this game has helped me in gaining some confidence and get some time out in the middle. I'm happy with the way I batted. Even when I was fielding, I could move well and get back to being quick and agile,” Rahul told Cricbuzz.
Rahul will be the first to admit that the injury came at the worst possible time for him. He had been going through a fine run of form across formats for India, having made a hundred on is ODI debut again Zimbabwe, which was backed by a hundred against the West Indies in Jamaica and another ton in T20I versus the same opposition in Florida.
But while batting in the second innings of the Kanpur Test against New Zealand last month, the right-hander pulled his hamstring and that forced him to miss out on the remaining two games, the ODI series that followed as well as the first Test of the series against England, that was played in Rajkot last week.
He has now backed that fifty from the first innings with a three-figure score and will hope to make a return to the national colours for the third Test against England, starting next week.
The Chairman of the selection committee MSK Prasad and the North Zone representative Sarandeep Singh were at the venue, watching the proceedings.
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