Star batter K L Rahul was forced to retire hurt after being hit by a rising delivery from Prasidh Krishna during the team’s intra-squad match simulation at the WACA in Perth on Friday.
After three days of nets at the ground, the Indian team geared up their preparations for the upcoming five-Test series against Australia with an XI featuring their main stars out in the middle against a side filled with mostly their fringe and India A players.
In perhaps an indication that the Karnataka right-hander could partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order in case skipper Rohit Sharma misses out the opener at the Optus Stadium in Perth from November 22, Rahul came out to open and looked in fluent touch until he was hit on the elbow by a rising delivery.
The blow left Rahul in discomfort and although he tried to continue batting after receiving initial treatment from the physio, he exited the session for further treatment. The images of Rahul walking off the field with the physio have since sparked concern, and added to the conundrum around India’s opening lineup for the first Test.
In the scenario of Rahul and Rohit missing the first Test, it could potentially open the doors for a Test debut for Abhimanyu Easwaran, or Shubman Gill being promoted to open the innings.
Rahul’s recent form has been under scrutiny, especially after his below-par returns with the bat against New Zealand, in the only Test he featured. Rahul was dismissed for scores of 0 and 12, leading to his exclusion from the next two Tests.
The 32-year-old was moved to the India A squad for unofficial games against Australia A in Melbourne. His efforts there, however, also fell short of expectations, yielding modest scores of 4 and 10. In one instance, he was bowled by Australian spinner Corey Rocchiccioli after misjudging a fuller delivery.
The rest of the batting side did well to finish on 339 for 8 in a match simulation that lasted 75 overs. The simulation is expected to continue over the weekend.