New Delhi, Nov 16, 2024
India batter Shubman Gill has landed in doubt to play the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in Perth after suffering a left-hand injury during the team’s match simulation training at the WACA on Saturday.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, Gill hurt his left hand while fielding in slips and did not take the field for the rest of the day. With just six days left for the first Test in Perth to begin, the Indian team will be anxious over whether Gill would be fit enough in time to bat at No.3.
The development comes just a day after right-handed batter K.L. Rahul took a blow to his right elbow by a rising delivery from Prasidh Krishna and was forced to leave the field. Since then, the report mentioned, Rahul hadn’t come out to bat at all. It is to be noted that there has been no official word yet from the BCCI on the status of Rahul and Gill ahead of the first Test.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and his wife Ritika Sajdeh welcomed their second child on Friday, but the report added that it could not be confirmed if the Indian captain would now be travelling to Perth to take part in the first Test.
Apart from Rahul, Rohit, and Gill, Abhimanyu Easwaran is the reserve top-order batting option India have in their squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, alongside young first-choice opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will see India and Australia play Test matches in Perth, Adelaide (pink-ball game), Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney from November 22 to January 7, 2025.
India have won the marquee series here over Australia by 2-1 margins in 2018/19 and 2020/21 respectively. It will also be the first five-match Test series between India and Australia since 1991/92.(Agency)
