Nitish Kumar Reddy in Race Against Time for England ODIs Amid Quadricep Injury

India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is in a race against time for the three ODIs against England starting July 14 in Birmingham. TimesofIndia.com has learnt that the BCCI medical team has advised the youngster an extended period of rest, and he has yet to begin his rehabilitation. He was recently ruled out of the T20Is against Ireland and England due to discomfort in his left quadricep. It is understood to be minor — a pull which has kept him out of action since the third ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai. The management is closely monitoring his progress and is optimistic about having him back with the team sometime next month. Currently, the chances of that happening in England remain bleak, and the Zimbabwe T20Is could be the practical option for a return to competitive cricket. The selectors will make the call soon.

India's squad for the ODIs against England will assemble in batches. Some players, including captain Shubman Gill and wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, are likely to arrive early to begin their preparations. The others could link up with the squad by July 12 ahead of the opener in Birmingham.

India squad for England ODIs: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar

The ODI series dates are: July 14: 1st ODI at Edgbaston, Birmingham July 16: 2nd ODI at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff July 19: 3rd ODI at Lord's, London