IND vs WI 2021-22: KL Rahul, Axar Patel ruled out of T20Is; replacements announced

India and Windies will clash in a three-match T20I series following the ODIs. KL Rahul and Axar Patel have been ruled out due to injuries. The selectors have announced their replacements.

India is having a cakewalk against the Windies in the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series, as it looks set for a clean sweep of 3-0. Following the ODIs, a three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series follows. However, India has suffered a couple of injury setbacks, with wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul and all-rounder Axar Patel being ruled out.

While Rahul has injured his hamstring, Axar is still in rehabilitation after being infected by COVID. Rahul suffered his injury during the second ODI against the Windies, leading him to miss out on the final ODI on Friday. In the meantime, the national selectors have also announced their replacements.

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"They will now head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for further management of their injury. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda as replacements," said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a media statement. The T20Is will be played from February 16 at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.

Both Gaikwad and Hooda have been in great form of late. The former has nailed it in white-ball cricket, especially in the domestic circuit, having had significant stints in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. Hooda was decent in the latter, as both were selected in the ODIs against the Windies, with only him getting a chance.

India's updated squad for the T20Is against the Windies: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda.