Why is KL Rahul not playing today's 4th India vs England Test?

Middle-order batter KL Rahul will continue to be absent from India's playing 11 for the fourth Test against England, which begins in Ranchi on Friday.

Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in its succinct statement on Tuesday only mentioned that he was "ruled out", Rahul has reportedly failed to recover from the quadriceps injury he suffered before the second Test in Vizag.

He missed that match but on February 12, ahead of the third Test in Rajkot, the BCCI said that he was "90 percent" fit and progressing well at the National Cricket Academy, increasing hopes for his comeback in Ranchi. Now, his participation even for the Dharamshala Test from March 7 is "subject to fitness".

India's batting coach Vikram Rathour didn't give any details in his press conference on Thursday either.

“For me either he [Rahul] is fit or he is not. At the moment he is not. I am not sure about the percent or what stage he is in. Only the medical team can confirm that. As far as we are concerned, he is not available and we are focussing on the team we have,” Rathour said.

Rahul did well in the first Test in Hyderabad, registering scores of 86 and 22 batting at Virat Kohli's usual position of No. 4. India lost that Test, though, but came back with big wins in the next two to lead the series 2-1.

---

Who has replaced KL Rahul in India's 11?

India made only one change in the team for the game by bringing in Akash Deep for Jasprit Bumrah, who has been rested. This means Rajat Patidar, who replaced Rahul after the first Test, retained his place.

Rathour also offered some words of motivation for the 30-year-old who has recorded scores of 32, 9, 5, and 0 so far.

“We have been having a lot of conversations with him [Patidar]. One thing he has to understand is that this is how this game works. He has been batting really well and scoring a lot of runs to get into the team," he said.

“Two poor games don’t make him a bad player. He just had two tough games, couple of awkward dismissals, which can happen to anyone. There is absolutely no doubt that he is a good player. On his day, he will come up with an impactful innings,” Rathour added.

Catch the live action from the Test here!