India Without Rahul, Bumrah for Fourth Test Against England

The Indian cricket team will be without the services of key players KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming fourth Test against England in Ranchi, starting February 23. Rahul, who has been struggling with a right quadriceps injury, has not been able to recover in time, while Bumrah has been released from the squad as part of workload management.

Rahul's absence is a significant blow to India's batting lineup. The right-hander was in impressive form in the opening Test in Hyderabad, scoring a century before succumbing to the injury. He was also the only Indian centurion in the drawn two-match Test series in South Africa in December.

Bumrah's release from the squad is a precautionary measure, considering the heavy workload he has endured in the first three Tests. The pace spearhead has bowled 80.5 overs so far in the series, taking 17 wickets, including a match-winning spell in the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

India are well-placed to seal the series in Ranchi, leading 2-1 after the first three Tests. However, if they are unable to do so, they will desperately need the services of Bumrah for the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala, beginning March 7.

In the absence of Rahul and Bumrah, India have called up pacer Mukesh Kumar to the squad. Kumar, who was released from the squad for the third Test in Rajkot to play a Ranji game for Bengal, has joined the team in Ranchi.

India's updated squad for the fourth Test:

* Rohit Sharma (C)

* Yashasvi Jaiswal

* Shubman Gill

* Rajat Patidar

* Sarfaraz Khan

* Dhruv Jurel (WK)

* KS Bharat (WK)

* Devdutt Padikkal

* R Ashwin

* Ravindra Jadeja

* Axar Patel

* Washington Sundar

* Kuldeep Yadav

* Mohd. Siraj

* Mukesh Kumar

* Akash Deep

Tags: #Cricket, #TeamIndia, #England, #TestSeries, #KLRahul