Shubman Gill Ruled Out Of First Test Against Australia

In form Indian opener Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the first test against Australia, beginning on the 22nd of November at the Optus Stadium in Perth owing to a fracture in his left hand which he sustained while taking a low catch in the slips on the second day of India’s intra-squad practice game.

BCCI has not announced Gill’s absence for the first test, however, according to ESPNCricinfo, Gill’s fracture is not serious hence he will try to be ready for the second test which will start on the 6th of December in Adelaide. The 25-year-old opener scored 144 runs in four innings at 36.00 in the recently concluded New Zealand home series where every Indian batter struggled to the spin.

Gill’s injury is another headache for the Indian team as Rohit Sharma did not travel with the team because of the birth of his second child. Now India has to fill up the gaps in opening and no 3 spots. KL Rahul will most likely open with Jaiswal following his experience on Aussie soil previously or Abhimanyu Easwaran may make his debut who got into the side riding on his stunning red ball performance in domestic cricket. However, none of them shined during the tour game for India A against Australia A. Easwaran made 0, 17. 7 & 12 in his four innings while Rahul could muster 4 and 10 in his two outings.

Rahul even got hit on his right elbow during the intra-squad game by his local teammate Prasidh Krishna on the first day but he was seen practicing in the nets today. If Rahul opens the innings, India has to find someone for the no 6 as Rahul has been batting at that position for a while now. Although India has options in the form of Jadeja, Ashwin, Sundar, or Nitish Reddy for number 6.