Axar Patel will not be available for selection for the first Test against England, starting February 5 in Chennai as the India all-rounder has been ruled out with knee pain. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar have been added to what is now a 19-man squad for the home Test series.
Axar complained of pain in his left knee during Team India’s optional training session on Thursday. He is being monitored by the BCCI Medical Team and while his detailed reports are awaited, he won’t be available for selection for the opening match, the BCCI has said.
India vs England, 1st Test Day 1
Axar’s injury comes as the latest setback after India was marred by injury concerns in the 4-Test series in Australia. The Gujarat spinner was added as a replacement to Ravindra Jadeja who has been ruled out of the first 2 Tests after a wrist injury that the India all-rounder picked up in the Sydney Test.
The All-India Senior Selection Committee made the decision to add Nadeem and Chahar to the squad ahead of the first Test. Both the spinners were part of the standby group of players and were training with the team in Chennai.
India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday had said Axar was added to the squad ahead of Shahbaz Nadeem who had played in the previous home Test series as he was considered to be a like-for-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja.
