KL Rahul's injury is a big blow for India, as his presence meant he could open the batting, play in the middle order and do wicket-keeping sometimes if needed.
He has been selected to the Indian squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia which will be held at England from June 7 onwards, considering his form in IPL and first class cricket.
The powerful Aussies qualified for next month's World Test Championship final in first place on the back of a strong home record and will look to take that momentum into the meeting with India, and the five-match series against England that follows.
KL Rahul pulled up in the field in Lucknow Super Giants' match with Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 1, quickly clutching at his thigh and then limping from the field.
Lucknow Super Giants pace bowler Jaydev Unadkat has been ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 after sustaining a left shoulder injury. He picked up the injury while training in the nets on Sunday.
The Indian Test team leapfrogged the Australian Test team to become the number 1 test nation ahead of their upcoming World Test Championship 2023 final.
Key opening batter KL Rahul and pacer Jaydev Unadkat have sent scares through the national camp with hamstring and shoulder problems respectively, both while on IPL duty.
Cheteshwar Pujara has been in scintillating touch for Sussex already this season, with the prolific right-hander already notching two centuries from three matches to be the leading run-scorer in the second tier of England's County Championship
Shastri thinks that Rahane's selection was not based on his recent performance in Indian Premier League but looking into his form in first-class cricket.
Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane has made a comeback in the Indian Test squad as BCCI announced the final squad for the World Test Championship Final against Australia on Tuesday, which will be played from June 7 at The Oval, London.