KL Rahul's elbow injury rocks Indian camp as batters struggle against bounce in WACA match simulation

KL Rahul suffered a blow to his elbow during an intra-squad game simulation at the WACA in Perth, while the remaining batters struggled against the moving deliveries and bounce. In the lead-up to the first BGT Test against Australia at the Optus Stadium starting November 22, Rahul’s latest injury rocks the Indian camp.

Returning to playing at the top in red-ball cricket after being asked to play in the middle for the past few years, Rahul opened with Jaiswal, making early inroads with some cleanstriking but departed soon after.

While KL Rahul was taken off the field following suffering a blow to his right elbow of a rising delivery from lanky Prasidh Krishna, Jaiswal edged one to the second slip on 15.

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New number three for India in Tests, Shubman Gill began slowly and struggled to get going during his two-hour stay at the crease before getting caught at gully on 28 of Navdeep Saini.

Ace Indian batter Virat Kohli shrugged off fitness concerns with a brief yet comfortable stay at the crease. He hit a few cracking shots through the covers but nicked to the second slip off Mukesh Kumar on 15. Per the latest reports, Kohli immediately returned to nearby nets, spending over half an hour honing his skills.

Rishabh Pant, India’s best batter on the tour Down Under, coped with a nasty blow to his groin before falling prey to Nitish Kumar Reddy, who also accounted for Dhruv Jurel, caught in the slips. Though Pant struggled against the bounce during net sessions in Perth, he smoked a four on the off-side early into his innings.

Rahul’s elbow injuryworries India

The Indian Team and fans are unaware of Rohit Sharma's status for the first Test in Perth, with multiple reports suggesting that the India captain might miss it for personal reasons.

However, before boarding the flight for Australia, India head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the media in Mumbai, confirming that should Rohit remain absent for the Perth game, KL Rahul might open with Jaiswal.

With this latest injury upsetting the whole scenario, should Rahul also miss the first game against Australia, India-A batter and domestic giant Abhimanyu Easwaran will fill in for him at the top. In the recently concluded two unofficial Tests against Australia A, the right-handed batter failed to press his case for a Test debut, scoring 36 runs in four outings.

(With inputs from agencies)