India name Ishan Kishan as KL Rahul's replacement for WTC final
The wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan will take Rahul's place in the squad for the marquee clash against Australia at the Oval in June.
Rahul had suffered an injury while fielding during the Indian Premier League match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday.
The batter will undergo surgery on his thigh, which had ruled him out for the final of the much-anticipated clash.
Rahul's isn't the only injury blow for India, with pacers Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav both being monitored closely by the Indian medical staff.
The left-arm pacer Unadkat suffered a left shoulder injury in the nets during the IPL, and is currently undergoing strength and rehab sessions. The decision on his participation in the WTC23 final is yet to be made.
Yadav also sustained a minor left hamstring injury during the IPL and is being monitored by the medical team.
India have also named three standby players for the final with Ruturaj Gaikwad, the backup opener to Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, and Suryakumar Yadav, the middle-order batter, taking up two of those spots.
Mukesh Kumar, who has previously been with the Test squad, but is yet to make his debut for India, fills the third spot as back-up seamer.
**Updated squad for WTC final:**Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).
Standby players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav.