WI vs IND: Rahul tests covid positive; adeja doubtful for ODI series

KL Rahul is doubtful for India's T20I series against West Indies after testing positive for covid-19.

BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly revealed the news on Thursday after the Apex Council Meeting, according to news reports. Rahul's departure for the Caribbean will now depend on his recovery.

Rahul recently underwent sports hernia surgery in Germany. Following this, he had been training at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. While he was not picked for the three-match ODI series in the Caribbean, the Indian management had expected Rahul to regain full fitness in time for the shortest format.

The five-match T20I series between India and West Indies is scheduled to begin on July 29 and will go until Aug. 7. The T20Is will be played across three venues: Trinidad, St Kitts, and Florida (U.S).

Just earlier in the day, NCA chief VVS Laxman thanked Rahul for interacting with aspiring cricket coaches at the NCA.

"Thank you @klrahul for addressing the candidates attending the Level-3 coach certification course at NCA. Listening to your different experiences as a player and captain will definitely help these passionate coaches to learn, improve and excel in their careers," Laxman said, sharing photos of Rahul's interaction with the coaches at the NCA in Bengaluru.

Notably, Rahul has not played since leading Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. He was appointed as India's stand-in captain for the five-match T20I series at home against South Africa in June. On the eve of the opening game, Rahul picked up a groin injury, and the selectors named Rishabh Pant the skipper for the series.

Rahul then also missed India's tour of Ireland and England. The Karnataka batsman was seen batting against India women's cricket team fast bowler Jhulan Goswami at the NCA earlier this week. The star batsman shared clips of his training and rehabilitation at the state-of-the-art facility in Bengaluru on social media.

The first ODI between India and West Indies is scheduled to be played on Friday (July 22) at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad. The visiting side is without some big names including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya. While Rohit, Pant, and Pandya will be back for the T20Is, Kohli and Bumrah are not a part of the Indian touring party.

In Rohit's absence, Shikhar Dhawan will lead India in the 50-over games. Meanwhile, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is all doubtful for the ODI series due to a knee injury and the decision to rest him as a precautionary measure to not aggregate the issue, according to Cricbuzz.