India batter and vice-captain KL Rahul and left-arm spinner Axar Patel have been ruled out of T20I series against West Indies, the BCCI announced on Friday. They have been replaced by and Ruturaj Gaikwad and all-rounder Deepak Hooda.
Rahul missed the third and final ODI against West Indies which is currently being played with captain Rohit Sharma saying that India’s vice-captain was nursing a niggle. In the second ODI, after Rahul was on his way back to the change room after getting run out for 49, he was seen favouring his lower back.
But the BCCI confirmed that Rahul injured his left hamstring while fielding and will not be part of the three T20Is series that starts February 16 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Axar, on the other hand, was on the road to recovery and was named in the T20I squad, but it turns that the left-arm spinner would require more time before being declared match-fit.
