The match practice for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) hasn’t been going smooth for India. After blows to Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul, one worrying development that has come across is about Shubman Gill. According to reports, Gill has hurt his fingers during match simulation against India A.
Shubman Gill out for Perth Test?
According to a TOI reporter, Gill was hurt while fielding during the match simulation. Apparently, he was fielding while standing at slips. After a rough start in his first innings in the practice game, Gill made a significant improvement the second time he batted. In his initial appearance, he struggled to find his rhythm and was dismissed by Navdeep Saini, a common fate for visiting batters in Australia. Gill, in a moment of carelessness, missed a short-pitched delivery, resulting in a catch at gully. However, in the second innings, Gill showcased his true potential, playing fluent strokes and executing elegant drives and cuts, as is his trademark.
However, a fresh injury has put a question mark on Gill’s availability for the opening Test against Australia at Perth. If ruled out, India might opt to put KL Rahul at the number three spot. Even Abhimanyu Easwaran could be picked, only if Rohit Sharma becomes available in time. Remember, the last time India had toured Australia, there were as many as 11 players who had gotten injured, in 2020-21 series. Yes, we did manage to win our second successive Test series Down Under, but the cost was way too heavy. The Gautam Gambhir-coached side would not want any of these type of injuries this time.
