KL Rahul, India’s vice-captain, and all rounder Axar Patel will miss the first of three T20Is against the West Indies, which begin on February 16. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has fully recovered from COVID-19, and Deepak Hooda have been named in India’s 18-man team as their replacements.

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During the second ODI on Wednesday, Rahul suffered an upper left hamstring strain while fielding. He was also unable to play in the last ODI on Friday due to his injury. According to a BCCI statement, Axar is recovering from COVID-19 and is in the “final stage of rehabilitation.”

Prior to their departure to Kolkata on Saturday evening, Axar was the only member of India’s T20I team who had not joined India’s extended biosecure bubble in Ahmedabad, which included members from both limited-overs squads. Both Axar and Rahul will be sent to Bengaluru’s National Cricket Academy for further treatment of their ailments.

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With Gaikwad’s signing, India now has three opening options in addition to captain Rohit Sharma. They also have Ishan Kishan, the second wicketkeeper, and Venkatesh Iyer, the allrounder who has spent much of his T20 success with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.

Gaikwad has played in two T20Is for India during their tour of Sri Lanka in July. His success in the IPL 2021 has hastened his ascension into India’s white-ball squads. He had a career-high 635 runs batted in last season, with an average of 45.35 and a strike rate of 136.26.

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Hooda was in prolific form for Rajasthan in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the domestic T20 competition, where he finished as the team’s leading run-getter after making his ODI debut against West Indies. His 294 runs came at a strike rate of 168, including four half-centuries.Hooda was a member of India’s T20I team for the 2017 home series against Sri Lanka. In the following year, he was again a member of India’s squad for the Nidahas series in Sri Lanka.

Seven members of the Indian camp, including four players – Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Gaikwad, and reserve fast bowler Navdeep Saini – tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the ODIs.

Axar had also missed India’s previous ODI match in South Africa due to a stress-related issue, according to reports.