KL Rahul to keep wickets in the warm-up match: Reports

Team India will play a three-day warm-up match against the English County Championship XI in Durham beginning July 20. 

Earlier this week, the BCCI released a statement that wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant had contracted the COVID-19 virus and is subject to isolation in London. Wriddhiman Saha, another wicketkeeper-batsman who had close contact with infected coaching staff member Dayanand Garani, remains in quarantine till July 24.

Speaking to IANS, a BCCI official revealed that Karnataka batsman, KL Rahul will be behind the sticks for the warm-up match in Durham. 

"KL Rahul will keep wickets in the warm-up match from July 20-22,” the BCCI official told IANS.

The official also commented on Rishabh Pant’s road to recovery. 

"Once Pant's test results come negative and he is cleared by BCCI medical team, he will join the bubble," the official explained.

The first-class match is part of India's preparations for the five-match Test series against England, which kicks off on August 4 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. 

Squads for the warm-up match

Team India: Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, R. Ashwin, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav; Standby players: Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, and Arzan Nagwaswalla.

County Championship XI: Will Rhodes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Aspinwall, Ethan Bamber, James Bracey, Jack Carson, Zak Chappell, Haseeb Hameed, Lyndon James, Jake Libby, Craig Miles, Liam Patterson-White, James Rew, and Rob Yates.