It has been reported that KL Rahul, one of India’s most experienced batters in the current Test squad, has been ruled out of the first Test against New Zealand due to a muscle strain on his left thigh. India are scheduled to play a two-match Test series against the World Test Championship titleholders, with the first game starting on 25 November in Kanpur.
The Board for Control of Cricket in India has confirmed that Suryakumar Yadav will be Rahul's replacement for the game. The injured right hander will be sent to the National Cricket Academy for his rehabilitation programme where he will prepare for the South Africa series.
The India team is already without the services of regular skipper Virat Kohli and experienced opener Rohit Sharma who have asked the BCCI for rest after a heavy 6-month schedule where they had to jump bio-bubbles to accommodate their schedule.
While it is not clear as to what the injury is, but it would mean that Shubman Gill will be back in the opening slot and one among SKY or Shreyas Iyer might get a chance to occupy a position in the middle order.