India batter Shubman Gill is doubtful for the second Test against Australia, scheduled to begin December 6 in Adelaide. Gill had missed the series opener due to a thumb injury he picked up during the intra-squad practice match at the WACA Ground. Before the game at the Adelaide Oval, the Indian team will take on Australia Prime Minister’s XI in a pink-ball practice match starting Saturday in Canberra. According to a report in the Times of India, Gill is certain to miss the match at the Manuka Oval, while his participation is Adelaide also remains an uncertainity.
Gill has been told to rest for a couple of weeks and will require some match practice before being considered for selection.
“Gill was advised a 10-14 day rest by the medical specialist after suffering that injury. He won’t play in the practice match on the weekend, and is doubtful at the moment for the second Test too. Let’s see how much his injury has healed, how his finger feels. Even after it has healed, he’ll need some quality practice before playing a Test match,” the report claimed.
The report also mentioned that pacer Mohammed Shami is unlikely to travel to Australia anytime soon. Shami recently returned to action after undergoing surgery for a long-term knee injury. Rumours have been circulating on social media that the pacer might leave for Down Under very soon.
“There has been no conversation around trying to send Shami to Australia, atleast for now. At the moment, the fast bowlers chosen for the tour and the first XI in the opening Test at Perth are doing their job very well,” the report added.
Meanwhile, returning captain Rohit Sharma will walk into the Indian playing XI for the second Test in Adelaide in place of young Devdutt Padikkal but in-form KL Rahul‘s batting slot in the pink ball warm-up game in Canberra will certainly keep everyone interested.
It will all depend on whether the injured Shubman Gill gets fit in time for the match, failing which Rahul might be slotted at number three in place of Padikkal. But there is a school of thought that believes the team might be served better if Rohit bats in the middle order, preferably at number five or six.
Rahul was seen more as a makeshift opener due to Rohit’s absence going into the opening Test in Perth.
But he has been technically the most compact among all Indian batters across both innings at Optus Stadium, with scores of 26 and 77.
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