KL Rahul, Axar Patel ruled out of India vs West Indies T20I series; Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda named as replacements
Vice-captain KL Rahul and all-rounder Axar Patel have been ruled out of India's three-match T20I series against West Indies to be played in Kolkata from February 16 to 20.
Rahul, who scored 49 in the second ODI against the Windies in Ahmedabad, sustained an upper left hamstring strain during fielding in the match. He did not take part in the final one-dayer of the series on Friday.
On the other hand, Axar has entered the final stage of his rehabilitation after recently recovering from COVID-19.
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🚨 NEWS 🚨: KL Rahul and Axar Patel ruled out of @Paytm #INDvWI T20I Series. #TeamIndia
The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Rututaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda as replacements.
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A BCCI release confirmed that both Rahul and Axar will now head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for further management of their injuries.
Meanwhile, the selectors have named Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda as replacements for the injured players.
India’s squad for West Indies T20Is: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda.
Deepak Hooda’s impressive India debut
Batting all-rounder Hooda seems to have been rewarded for a good performance on his one-day debut with the bat. He made an unbeaten 26 off 32 in the first ODI, hitting two fours. Chasing 177 for victory, the hosts had slipped to 116 for 4. However, Hooda gave Suryakumar Yadav (34* off 36) able support and the duo took India to victory by six wickets.
The 26-year-old made an impact in the second ODI as well. He scored 29 off 25 as India posted 237 for 9 after being sent into bat. He also dismissed Shamarh Brooks for 44 to claim his first international wicket. Hooda has been rested for the final ODI, with Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer being included in the playing XI.
Speaking after his debut, the all-rounder revealed that it was a proud moment for him to receive his cap from Virat Kohli. Hooda explained while speaking to Suryakumar:
“When I first came to Indian team, Virat bhai was not in the squad. But this was a childhood dream. When I was growing up, I saw Virat bhai and Dhoni bhai becoming a legend of the game. So, I wanted to receive the cap from either Virat bhai or Dhoni bhai.”
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Shamarh Brooks ✅
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Meanwhile, Gaikwad, who was surprisingly left out of the T20I squad initially, will be hoping to get a chance in one of the three games. He did not feature in any of the ODIs against West Indies.