Kishan replaces Rahul in India squad for WTC final

PUNIT PARANJPE/ AFP

Ishan Kishan will replace the injured KL Rahul in India's squad for next month's World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said on Monday.

Rahul was ruled out of the rest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season and the WTC final after tearing a tendon in his right leg while fielding for the Lucknow Super Giants.

"After consultations with specialists, it has been decided that Rahul will undergo surgery at the earliest followed by rehab at the National Cricket Academy for the same," the BCCI said.

Kishan, who has represented India in shorter formats, was named in the test squad for the first two games of a four-match series against Australia in February but is yet to make his debut for India in the longest format.

The BCCI added that Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav, both of whom are in the squad for the WTC final, are being monitored after picking up injuries in recent weeks.

The WTC final will take place at the Oval from June 7-11. India reached the final of the inaugural WTC in June 2021 but lost by eight wickets to New Zealand in a rain-hit contest in Southampton.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishan Kishan, KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.