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Just days ahead of the first Test of the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, Team India has received a major blow with Shubman Gill suffering an injury. The India top-order batter sustained a left thumb injury while fielding in the slips during match simulation in Perth on Saturday, November 16.
However, reports later revealed that Gill has sustained a hairline fracture to his right thumb and is set to miss the first Test, which is scheduled to commence on November 22 at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Sources close to the developments have informed that Gill is likely to stay out for Perth Test, meanwhile the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has requested a few India A players to stay.
Shubman Gill to miss Perth Test; BCCI asks Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal to stay
“He hurt his thumb while fielding in the slips. He was sent for scans, and it seems he’s suffering from a hairline fracture. He will miss the first Test due to the injury but should return for the second,” a reliable BCCI source told TOI. Now with Gill ruled out and Rohit Sharma likely to be unavailable for the opening Test, the Indian team management has a daunting task in front of them in order to confirm Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening pair.
If reports are to be believed, the Indian team management has requested India A players, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal to stay back. “Ruturaj batted well in the match simulation at Perth today, and he’s got an idea of the Aussie conditions by now. He can fit into the middle order, where he’s batted in domestic cricket this season, easily. There’s a possibility he may be asked to stay back,” the source said, as quoted by TOI.
However, a clarity in regard to the same is still awaited from the Indian team management, but it has to be seen that Sai Sudharsan has played four white-ball matches for India and is yet to earn India call-up. Meanwhile, Padikkal, who made a debut against England earlier this year, scored a half-century (65 runs).
India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
