The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is just a few sleeps away but the Indian team could definitely be losing even those. There has been a fresh epidemic of injury scares in India’s camp, affecting the batters who flew to the country early for training. However, injury scares to a visiting team in Australia has nothing unusual to it. It’s difficult to adjust to the bounce the Aussie pitches offer. And though these injuries are common, they do take a toll on a team’s morale.
As per reports, no less than four Indian batters had to leave the field during training due to injuries. It is understood that Indian stalwart batter Virat Kohli underwent scans on Thursday for an injury whose nature is unclear. However, the scans did not bear any woeful news for the batter and Kohli was seen training on Friday.
Besides him, the young batsman Sarfaraz Khan was seen leaving the nets in advance on Thursday as well after he took a hit to his elbow. But like Kohli, the blow did not cause any shadows on his participation in the upcoming red-ball series.
It is not as if players never get injured in Australia, quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. However, with the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who welcomed his second child yesterday, already doubtful for the first Test, India can not afford to lose the best of their batters to freak injuries.
KL Rahul, who was the most likely to replace Sharma in the event he does not make it in time for the opening Test game, has himself been out of the nets for two days after he took a jab to his elbow during simulation training and was seen leaving the ground in visible pain. Rahul had been batting with the other Indian opener, Yashasvi Jaiswal in overcast conditions, preparing to step in for Rohit Sharma. However, his absence after the blow has made things difficult for the Indian management.
The injury scares do not stop here. The most recent victim of this fitness scare wave is Indian top-order batter Shubman Gill, who hurt his left thumb while taking a catch in the slips during the second day of India’s intra-squad match in Perth. Although there has been no confirmation about his injury from the board or management, with the first Test only five days away, he seems doubtful to get fit in time. India have added an A team, Devdutt Padikkal, to the squad, though it remains to be seen whether he will be slotted into the main or reserve squad.
While this five-Test match tour against Australia always was one of the most important bilateral tours in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, India’s rare 3-0 defeat at the hands of New Zealand at home have made the series all the more crucial for India’s final chances. Rohit Sharma’s men need to bag at least three games of the tour if they wish to qualify on their own. If they do qualify, this will be the third time that India will play the WTC final. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will commence on November 22 and will run until the first week of January.
