WTC Final: Ishan Kishan replaces injured KL Rahul in India's Test squad vs Australia

Wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan has been named as the replacement for KL Rahul in India's squad for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final.

The WTC final will be played between India and Australia at The Oval in London from June 7.

KL Rahul suffered an injury during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 where he was leading Lucknow Super Giants but was ruled out of the rest of the tournament and the WTC final last week.

"KL Rahul suffered an injury to his right upper thigh while fielding during Match 43rd of TATA IPL 2023 between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 1st May.

"After consultations with specialists, it has been decided that Rahul will undergo surgery at the earliest followed by rehab at the National Cricket Academy for the same," the Board of Control for Cricket in India said in a statement.

The BCCI has also named Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav and Mukesh Kumar as standby players.

Fast bowlers Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav, who are nursing injuries, are being monitored by the BCCI medical team and a call on their availability will be taken later.

"Jaydev Unadkat sustained a left shoulder injury by tripping over the side rope while bowling in the nets. A specialist consultation has been sought and the left-arm fast bowler is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru undergoing strength and rehab sessions for his shoulder. A decision on his participation in the WTC final will be taken at a later stage.

"Umesh Yadav sustained a minor left hamstring injury during Match 36 of TATA IPL 2023 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 26 April. The fast bowler is currently under the care of the KKR Medical Team and has started low-intensity bowling as part of his rehab process. The BCCI Medical Team is in regular touch with KKR Medical Team and is closely monitoring Umesh’s progress," the Indian cricket board added.

India’s squad for WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).

Standby players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav.