Finally some good news! The despondent feeling before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 has washed off, if only slightly. KL Rahul has returned to the nets after copping a blow on his right elbow on November 15. Expected to be captain Rohit Sharma’s replacement at the top, Rahul was hit during India’s intra-squad match.
KL Rahul fit for Perth Test?
Team India had opted for a match simulation instead of a match against Australia A or one of their domestic sides. To better prepare for what was about to come, the Indian batters including KL Rahul were peppered with short balls. One ball sneaked past Rahul’s defense and hit him. He seemed fine and continued until the pain became unbearable and he walked off.
Still practicing at the WACA for the 1st India vs Australia Test, Rahul returned to the nets. The injury had come exactly a week before the Perth Test started, and with five days still to go, Rahul is on track to play. It wasn’t a light training session either, as the wicketkeeper batter was facing Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah at full throttle.
Team India’s injury issues & other ommisions
This certainly bodes well for Team India. They’ve already lost Shubman Gill for the match, who fractured his thumb during fielding drills and isn’t expected to recover before the first Test starts on November 22. Luckily, with an extended gap between the first and second match, Gill should be fit for the Adelaide Oval Test.
Mohammed Shami wasn’t selected for the BGT 2024-25 due to uncertainty over his fitness. He’s since played one Ranji Trophy match, but it’s yet to be seen whether he’s ready to bowl in a Test match in Australia. As of now, there isn’t a clue regarding Rohit Sharma’s availability either. It’s been just two days since he welcomed his second child, and whether or not Rohit’s ready to return can’t be ascertained now.
India’s squad for BGT 2024-25
Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
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