India faces injury concerns ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with KL Rahul and Shubman Gill doubtful for the Perth Test, while either Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal may stay back for the match.
New Delhi: India is gearing up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with an intra-squad match at WACA. However, the team faced a setback as two players sustained injuries during the fixture. KL Rahul was struck on the elbow by a delivery from Prasidh Krishna and did not return to bat. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill injured his thumb, leaving his availability for the Perth Test in question.
The India A players are set to return to the country on Monday (November 18), but one player may remain in Australia. According to The Times of India, either Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal is expected to stay back for the Perth Test match.
India A captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is not part of the plans and will head back home. “The final call will be with the coach, captain and selectors but there is a strong possibility of management asking one specialist top-order batter to stay back for the series opener. Abhimanyu Easwaran is already there but one of Sai or Devdutt could well stay back too,” a source told The Times of India.
Sudharsan, who is capped in white-ball cricket, has yet to receive his maiden Test call-up. Padikkal, on the other hand, made his Test debut against England in early 2024, scoring a half-century, but was dropped after the series.
The first Test of the five-match series is set to take place from November 22 to 26, while the second Test, featuring pink balls, will be held from December 6 to 10.
Rohit Sharma, who has recently been blessed with a baby boy, is now the subject of keen anticipation from fans. With six days remaining, it is yet to be seen whether the India captain will travel to Australia for the Perth Test. Rohit previously served as the vice-captain during the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.