Rahul will play no part in the first Test

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

India opener Lokesh Rahul has been ruled out of the first Test against Sri Lanka after being diagnosed with viral fever.

Rahul was absent from training on Monday and even stayed behind in Colombo while the rest of his team-mates travelled to Galle, which is where the first Test will be held.

The decision to sideline Rahul was made by the medical team, who have advised him to rest “as a precautionary measure”.

Rahul was set to return from a shoulder injury that he underwent surgery for, which kept him out of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Champions Trophy and India’s limited overs tour of the West Indies.

The 25-year-old, who sustained the injury during India’s four-Test series against Australia earlier this year, admitted that he was “nervous” ahead of the first Test as he was coming back after spending a lengthy period of time on the sidelines.

With fellow opener Murali Vijay having been ruled out of the series, Abhinav Mukund and Shikhar Dhawan are the only other openers in India’s squad.

The first Test between Sri Lanka and India gets underway on Wednesday.