 "KL Rahul suffers injury scare during India's match simulation, Virat Kohli falls to Mukesh Kumar: Report")
Team India was jolted with a massive injury scare on Friday after KL Rahul was struck with a bouncer during the match simulation in Perth ahead of the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy. As per the reports from the WACA, Rahul was hit on his right elbow by a bouncer from Praisdh Krishna during the intra-squad match simulation. He tried to continue batting after copping the blow but was soon forced to walk off the field.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli allayed fears of fitness issues as he scored 15 in the intra-squad match simulation before getting caught at second slip off Mukesh Kumar. He later spent some more time in the nets.
Yashasvi Jaiswal also made 15 before getting out in slips.
Rishabh was also hit on the groin but there are no reports of any injury. He was later cleaned up by Nitish Kumar Reddy who also dismissed Dhruv Jurel. Shubman Gill made 28 before getting caught at gully off Navdeep Saini.
A report in ESPNCricinfo said that most of the Indian batters struggled against pace, bounce, carry, and swing on the WACA pitch as they were 106/5 in 28 overs at the break.
KL Rahul expected to open in Perth Test
A report in India Today says that Rahul is all right at the moment and there are no major injury concerns, however, things will only get clear with time. The latest injury blow to Rahul will only add to India’s headache who are in search of a replacement opener. India captain Rohit Sharma has not travelled with the team to Australia as his wife is expected their second child.
KL Rahul’s not looking very comfortable after being struck on his right elbow/forearm off a rising delivery. Tried to resume batting by shaking it off but clearly couldn’t. And now leaving with the physio #AusvInd pic.twitter.com/JFivRNx7af
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) November 15, 2024
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAlso Read | Rohit Sharma reportedly sweats it out in Mumbai amid uncertainty over first Test
In Rohit’s absence, Rahul, who opened on Friday, is seen as an ideal replacement who could partner Jaiswal given his past experiences. However, the latest injury scare could spoil things for the team ahead of the first Test which will be played from 22 November at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
If Rahul doesn’t recover in time then India could hand a debut to Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is a part of the squad. Also, Gill is another opening option in the squad.
Also Read | Kohli starts BGT preparations at WACA; nets covered with black tarps
KL Rahul, however, will be India’s first option given he already has played 75 innings as an opener in Test cricket in which he scored 2,551 runs at an average of 34.94. He also has seven Test hundreds to his name as a Test opener.
Rahul injury a blow to WTC final chances
He, however, has struggled for form recently, having only scored 234 runs in five matches in 2024 at an average of 33.42. He was dropped from the middle order after the first Test against New Zealand last month.
Also Read | Pitch for first India-Australia Test to have 'really good pace, bounce and carry'
India lost the Test series 3-0 at home .
The rare Test series loss at home has added more pressure on Team India who are now second in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table and need to win at least four Tests in Australia to reach the 2025 WTC final.
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