KL Rahul, Axar Patel ruled out of T20I series vs West Indies, Rututaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda as replacements

India vice-captain KL Rahul and all-rounder Axar Patel were on Friday ruled out of the three-match T20I series against the West Indies beginning in Kolkata from February 16 due to injuries with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda replacing them in the squad.

While Rahul has suffered a hamstring injury while fielding in the second ODI on February 9, Axar has not fully recovered from his shin injury that also forced him to miss the South Africa tour. The spinner had also recently tested positive for COVID, said BCCI.

''Rahul sustained an upper left hamstring strain during fielding in the 2nd ODI on 9th February 2022 while Axar has resumed the final stage of his rehabilitation after recently recovering from Covid-19. They will now head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for further management of their injury,'' said the BCCI in a statement.

''The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda as replacements,'' it added.

Both Gaikwad and Hooda are also part of the squad picked for the ongoing ODI series against the Caribbean side in Ahmedabad.

Rahul and Axar's fitness issues have also raised questions over their availability for the home series against Sri Lanka starting February 25.

Rahul had missed the first ODI to personal commitments before returning for the second game.

India's T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda.