Suryakumar replaces injured KL Rahul for NZ Tests

Senior India opener KL Rahul was on Tuesday ruled out of the two-Test series against New Zealand due to a muscle strain in his left thigh.

Suryakumar Yadav, who was a part of India's Test squad that travelled to England, has been added to the side.

The opening Test will begin in Kanpur from Thursday.

"Team India batsman KL Rahul has sustained a muscle strain on his left thigh and has been ruled out of the upcoming 2-match Paytm Test series against New Zealand," BCCI said in a release.

"He will now undergo rehabilitation at NCA in preparation for the series against South Africa scheduled next month," the release added.

Rahul was missing from the Indian team's customary practice session, attended by almost all the players at the Green Park stadium on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old Rahul has featured in 40 Tests, scoring 2321 runs at an average of 35.16. His highest score was 199 that came against England in Chennai in 2016.

Shubman Gill was seen opening the batting along with Mayank Agarwal during the team's net session as Cheteshwar Pujara, the vice captain for the series-opener, also batted.

There is a strong possibility that either Shreyas Iyer or Suryakumar Yadav will make their Test debut and bat in the middle order.

Young batter Shubhman was expected to bat in the middle order but now in the absence of Rahul, he will be asked to play in his usual opening slot.