India's KL Rahul [Source: Reuters]

Indian batter KL Rahul has been ruled out of the third test against England after failing a fitness test and has been replaced in the squad by Devdutt Padikkal, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said.

Rahul, who has played 50 tests for India and scored eight centuries, missed the second test of the five-match series due to an injury.

Rahul is the second major Indian batsman to be out of action during the third test, after Virat Kohli pulled out of the series due to personal reasons.

England spinner Jack Leach will also miss the rest of the series due to a knee injury.

Padikkal, who has replaced Rahul in the squad, has represented India in T20 cricket but is yet to make his test debut.

India and England are tied 1-1 in the series as the third test gets underway in Rajkot on Thursday.