India vs New Zealand 2021-22: KL Rahul ruled out of Test series, Suryakumar Yadav comes in as replacement

Team India has been dealt with a setback ahead of the opening Test against New Zealand, to be held at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur from Thursday. Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has been ruled out of the series, having suffered a muscle strain on his left thigh. Consequently, he will be replaced by Suryakumar Yadav.

“He [Rahul] will now undergo rehabilitation at NCA in preparation for the series against South Africa scheduled next month,” recorded the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a statement. As a result of this, Yadav is in line to make his Test debut. He has been a limited overs-specialist so far, making an impact in both Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and One-Day Internationals (ODIs).

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Yadav’s number in the longest format is impressive. He has scored 5,326 runs in 77 First-Class matches at an average of 44.01, having scored 26 half-centuries and 14 tons, while his top innings happens to be 200. He can also bowl medium pace and off-break, having claimed 24 wickets in 50 innings at an average of 22.91, including a four-for.

India’s updated Test squad vs NZ: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vc), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna