India had played with three different opening partners the last time they toured Sri Lanka in 2015 following injury concerns of their openers. The Virat Kohli-led team is heading into a similar situation as they are set to begin a three-match Test series in the island nation under recently-appointed coach Ravi Shastri.
It has emerged that KL Rahul will miss the first Test in Galle, starting Wednesday, July 26 after picking up viral fever. Though the opening batsman is recovering well, he has been advised precautionary rest, as per reports.
Rahul skipped training on Monday shortly after the team's tour match against Sri Lanka President's XI on July 22.
Notably, Rahul smashed a 58-ball 54 before walking back to the pavilion in the two-day match in Colombo. The right-hander reportedly stayed back in the capital city while the rest of his teammates travelled to Galle.
The news comes as a huge blow to Team India as they recently lost Murali Vijay due to injury. The Tamil Nadu opener was part of the squad initially, but was forced to pull out after failing to recover in time from a wrist injury he picked during Australia's tour to India earlier this year.
Rahul also has been battling with a shoulder injury for quite sometime now. He overcame the pain and continued contributing to the team during the closely-fought series against Steve Smith's men.
Rahul then decided to take some time out of the game and skipped Indian Premier League 2017 season. He missed the team's Champions Trophy campaign and India's tour to West Indies last month.
Meanwhile, Rahul has also expressed concerns about his constant struggle with injuries and even went on to say that doubts over his wellness is always on the back of his mind, according to bcci.tv.
In the absence of Rahul, comeback man Shikhar Dhawan is likely to partner with Tamil Nadu skipper Abhinav Mukund. Notably, the latter failed to make use of an opportunity in the Bangalore Test against Australia as he was dismissed for 0 on Test return after five years.
Mukund also failed to trouble the scorers during the tour game against Sri Lanka President's XI.
