Cricket News: India’s Test vice-captain KL Rahul is set to miss the upcoming England tour

He consequently missed the ongoing T20I series, a blow to his fans who were expecting him to lead the charge against the Proteas in five T20Is at home. In addition, spinner Kuldeep Yadav was ruled out of the series due to an injury he sustained. 

In such dire circumstances, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was deemed fit to be the new skipper. Returning all-rounder Hardik Pandya was declared his deputy for the five T20Is against South Africa. BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed the news reiterating Rahul's unavailability for the England series comprising the rescheduled Edgbaston Test followed by a white-ball series. "That is correct, the board is working on his fitness and he will be going to Germany soon,” Shah added. Rahul might take the trip to Germany by the end of this month or in early July.

India is looking for a new stand-in skipper for the tour

Rahul was named vice-captain under Rohit Sharma for the Edgbaston Test but the injury will compel the Indian selection committee to choose a replacement for Rahul. The selectors are bound to announce a replacement for the tour and reports state that Shubham Gill is the man under consideration. The opener Shubman Gill might replace Rahul in the playing XI if the star batter fails to pass the fitness test ahead of the rescheduled Test match against England. The second option is Cheteshwar Pujara who could open the batting, in case they detect fitness issues for any of the two openers. 

According to a BCCI official, "Rahul is not traveling with the team. He will take some more time to recover although he might appear in a fitness test during the weekend. Chances of recovery aren't looking bright." Rahul had played for India in February 2022 before starting his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 campaign as the captain of the newly-formed side, Lucknow Super Giants. At the tournament, he scored 616 runs at an average of 51.33 and a strike rate of 135.38. He sent his team to the playoffs in their first season but his side was knocked out by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Rahul became the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament.

Furthermore, it seems likely that stand-in skipper Pant will not feature in the two T20Is against Ireland during India's UK tour. Hence, all-rounder Pandya is the most viable candidate to lead India in the Ireland series. "While there is Dinesh Karthik, who is the senior-most player in the squad along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, it was Hardik, who was Pant's designated deputy and hence favorite to lead," as stated an official.