KL Rahul's participation in the fifth and the final Test of the ongoing series against England has come under serious doubt as the 31-year-old batter continues to battle with fitness concerns.
The fifth Test is slated to be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA) in Dharamsala starting March 7 and with Team India having already sealed the series the team management may not risk Rahul and other senior players.
As per a Cricbuzz report, Rahul has not regained his fitness completely and may consult a specialist in London. The 31-year-old was ruled out of the 2nd Test after an injury to his right quadriceps and there is still some stiffness which is causing him problems.
Rahul is one of the senior batters in the Test team and the team management had to blood in youngsters in his absence. Fortunately for the hosts young guns like Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel showed a lot of composure and batted brilliantly in the third and the fourth Test respectively to contribute in the wins.
After the end of the 4th Test, Skipper Rohit Sharma acknowledged that the team was in a difficult position in the absence of key players but was impressed with the way the youngsters responded in their absence.
"It's always not pleasing when you miss key players, but there's nothing we can do as a group. To fill their shoes was not easy, but they (youngsters) responded really well. When you make a mark like that, you hold yourself in a good position for a long career. This will motivate them. We turn up to every Test thinking we want to win, this is a great series, want to turn up in fifth and put our best foot forward. Confident we will put on a good show," Rohit said during the post-match presentation in Ranchi.
