Indian opener Murali Vijay will miss the second Test against West Indies due to a thumb injury and will be replaced by Lokesh Rahul, skipper Virat Kohli said ahead of the match that begins at Kingston's Sabina Park later on Saturday.
Rahul was given a test on collecting the ball outside off-stump, and the 31-year-old also managed to crouch for the entire duration of training without much discomfort.
'I don't think the target was a lot. It was just 10 over-par. We bowled well in patches. Just made a few mistakes.'
For the team management, it is a choice between a younger man's (Sarfaraz) flamboyance and fearlessness versus a seasoned campaigner who has been a Test captain and is part of the national set-up for a decade now.
TV commentators Graeme Smith and Scott Styris remarked that such discussions should occur privately, not in front of the broadcasting cameras.
With the pitch here not assisting the spinners so far a great deal, Rampaul expressed his surprise.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the remainder of the series against England due to a knee injury.
During match no. 43 of IPL 2023, LSG skipper KL Rahul limped off the field during their home match against RCB.
India have long curated home tracks that accentuate turn, but the assumption their own batters would master such conditions no longer appears safe following their defeat in the opening Test against South Africa.
Earlier, after being 0-2 early in their second innings, India continued to battle on to frustrate England on day five, the tourists doing everything possible to keep the series alive on 322-4 at tea.
Virat Kohli was as usual brilliant in pacing his innings but India captain Rohit Sharma doffed his hat for comeback man KL Rahul
Among other developments, middle order batter Shreyas Iyer will miss the next three Tests due to injury.
Opener KL Rahul is all set to be named Indian team's vice captain for the three-Test series against South Africa, starting on December 26, BCCI sources confirmed on Saturday.
India pace bowler Akash Deep played down concerns over skipper Rohit Sharma's knee injury in the build-up to the fourth Test against Australia this week after the batsman was hit during a practice session on Sunday.
Virat Kohli's stroke-filled 91-ball 93 set up India's win in the series opener against New Zealand.
Shardul Thakur's better batting ability compared to speedster Prasidh Krishna could prove to be decisive while selecting the extra pacer for World Cup but both are likely to be auditioned if India pick a 17-member squad for the Asia Cup, which is set to be named on Monday.
Kuldeep was instrumental to India's success at the Asia Cup, topping the wicket-taking chart with 17 wickets. Chopra explained the rationale behind dropping the left-arm wrist spinner, attributing it to batting depth.
India captain KL Rahul was on Wednesday ruled out of the five-match T20 International series against South Africa owing to a right groin injury
'...the guys who are just part of Test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important.'
K L Rahul has ruled out of the third Test against England, starting in Rajkot on Thursday, after failing to recover fully from his injury.
Commenting on the post, Ishan Kishan jokingly asked, 'Why is Mr. Rajni doing so extra?'
The short turnaround time from the high of winning a controversy-marred Asia Cup notwithstanding, Shubman Gill's India will be outright favourites against a struggling and under-strength West Indies when the teams face-off on a green-top in the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
K L Rahul is back in action in the cricket nets, as seen in a video posted on his Instagram account.
Virat Kohli's supreme fitness was evident in his 47th ODI century while comeback man KL Rahul produced an equally engaging ton on comeback as India thrashed a listless Pakistan by record 228-run margin.
I like it when people expect me to win matches, don't take it as pressure: Yash Thakur
India has plenty of options at the top of the order and someone has to 'sacrifice' the opener's slot for KL Rahul, who performs his best when he takes the first strike, reckons former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar.
The Indian cricket team's poor fitness record in the ongoing home season continued as opener KL Rahul was ruled out of the third Test on Friday due to a forearm injury sustained during the second match.
The Capitals sit pretty at the top with 10 points from six games, while the Titans trail close behind with eight from as many outings.
Senior India batter KL Rahul is unlikely to feature in the fifth and final Test against England in Dharamsala as he continues to feel sore in his right quadriceps.
Australia's stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh continued his fine run of form on Sunday, scoring 46 not out and leading his side to a seven-wicket triumph over India in the weather-affected first one-day international at Perth Stadium.
England pace spearhead Mark Wood credited bowling coach Morne Morkel for keeping things simple at training after returning sensational figures of 5 for 14 on his IPL debut for Lucknow Super Giants in their massive 50-run victory over Delhi Capitals, in Lucknow, on Saturday.
'I will I be keeping wickets and batting in the middle-order and after that I would be happy to keep wickets in Test matches.'
K L Rahul has managed just 38 runs in three innings in the ongoing Test series against Australia.
India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has conceded that he found the continued criticism directed at him painful and puzzling especially when his performance was not that bad.
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra raised concerns over middle-order batter KL Rahul's omission from the squad against Afghanistan.
India head coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday hinted that injuries to the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel could cost his team going into the ODI World Cup and makes the task of managing players "trickier".
Dhruv Jurel made a strong case for his continued presence in the senior Test eleven with his second hundred in as many innings against South Africa A while fortifying India A's position on the third day of the four-day match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Senior batter KL Rahul in all likelihood will miss the Asia Cup, while it could be a touch and go for another star Shreyas Iyer.
The India opener, who has been accompanied by girlfriend Athiya Shetty, is likely to stay in Germany for a month during his recovery period.
Sai Sudharsan made the opportunity count in his comeback game with a fifty while Rishabh Pant suffered another injury as India played the old-fashioned way to reach 264 for four at stumps on Day 1 of the fourth Test in Manchester on Wednesday.
