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India’s Shubman Gill fractured the thumb on his left arm and will miss the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in Perth.
India vs Australia 1st Test: Shubman Gill is out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener (AFP)
India’s star top-order batter Shubman Gill has been rulled out o the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Optus Stadium in Perth, starting November 22 after he sustained a left thumb fracture on Saturday.
“His thumb is not looking good. We got a scan done and it showed a fracture. It will take him at least two weeks to recover. He is ruled out for the first Test match. As there is a big gap between the first and second Test, we are hoping he will recover in time for the second Test,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Gill, one of the young heroes of India’s last Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph, is a batting mainstay and with skipper Rohit Sharma also opting out of the first Test, India’s top-order could look very thin.
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Gill got hurt while fielding on the second day of the intra-squad match simulation. He was seen in considerable pain and immediately left the field for further scans.
A thumb fracture generally takes around 14 days to heal after which one is expected to start his regular net sessions. Since the second Test in Adelaide starts from December 6, there remains a possibility that he will get fit in time for that match.
Gill’s absence could be massive for the national team as he is not only a stable number three batter and in case of Rohit’s absence, could have been considered for opening the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The other man in contention, KL Rahul, has a bruised elbow after getting hit by a Prasidh Krishna short ball on the opening day of the intra-squad match and was forced to leave the field.
Rahul’s bruised area needed icing and he didn’t take the field on the second day of the match simulation on Saturday although it is being seen more as a precautionary measure.
In case Gill is absent, Abhimanyu Easwaran could be in line for his Test debut as India don’t have too many options left.
However, if skipper Rohit, who was blessed with a baby boy, decides to join forces with three days of training, then it would be a different story.
Mohammed Shami, who has bowled more than 43.2 overs, took seven wickets and scored 37 runs in the Ranji Trophy, is certainly going to join the team before the second Test.
The last day of the match simulation will happen at the WACA on Sunday after which India A squad, barring reserve players, will be back to India and join their respective state teams for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The main squad will then move to Optus Stadium in Perth where they will have three net sessions from Tuesday to Thursday before going into the Test starting Friday.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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