India has confirmed that Shubman Gill will miss the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The opening match against Australia starts at the Perth Stadium on Friday, November 22. Gill sustained a left thumb injury while fielding at slips during India’s match simulation at the WACA.
Though scans revealed the injury wasn’t too severe, he was still ruled out of the series opener. Following the toss in Perth, which India won and chose to bat first, the BCCI issued a statement confirming the injury.
“Shubman Gill sustained a left thumb injury during Day 2 of match simulation at The WACA. He was not considered for selection for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress on a daily basis,” it read.
Initially, there were concerns that Gill could be sidelined for a couple of weeks. However, recent updates and media reports suggest he could be fit in time for the second Test, which begins on December 6 in Adelaide. Additionally, there’s a two-day warm-up match against a Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, scheduled between the Perth and Adelaide Tests.
India’s Playing XI In The Absence Of Shubman Gill
In the absence of Shubman Gill, as well as captain Rohit Sharma and pacer Mohammed Shami, India has fielded a relatively young side. Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal, who was retained with India A and played two games against Australia A ahead of the Test series, has replaced Shubman Gill.
Padikkal scored 88 in one innings, along with 26, 36, and 1 in three other opportunities. KL Rahul will open the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal, and the bowling department features two debutants—Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
India’s Playing XI: Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Washington Sundar, and Mohammed Siraj.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
