Rohit Sharma out for first test, fit KL Rahul shall open the innings in Perth, Jasprit Bumrah takes captaincy charge

KL Rahul batted in the nets on Sunday, allaying concerns over his fitness, indicating that he is ready to open the innings in the first Test against Australia as India captain Rohit Sharma will join the team in Adelaide after spending time with his newborn baby.

New Delhi: KL Rahul batted in the nets on Sunday, allaying concerns over his fitness, indicating that he is ready to open the innings in the first Test against Australia as India captain Rohit Sharma will join the team in Adelaide after spending time with his newborn baby.

In Rohit’s absence, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will lead the team. In the ‘intra-squad’ (Indian players practice by dividing into two teams) practice match at the WACA ground, Rahul left the field for medical treatment after being hit on the elbow by a ball from fast bowler Prasidh Krishna while batting on Friday.

The first match of the five-Test series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia will start at Optus Stadium on November 22, while the second Test will be held in Adelaide from December 6. It is quite likely that the team management will open the innings with the pair of Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. On Sunday, 32-year-old Rahul batted without any problem and participated in all kinds of ‘drills’ during the three-hour net session and also batted for a long time.

In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on ‘X’, Rahul said, “I was injured on the first day of the game. Today I am feeling good. Getting ready for the first match. It is good that I could come here early and adapt to the conditions.”

WATCH VIDEO BELOW:

After being hit on his elbow on Day 1 of the match simulation, KL Rahul has recovered and is raring to go 👌👌#TeamIndia | #AUSWIN | @klrahul pic.twitter.com/FhVDSNk8tv

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 17, 2024

He said, “Yes, I have got enough time to prepare for this series and I am excited and ready for it.” In fact, head coach Gautam Gambhir had also hinted at making Rahul bat in the upper order in case Rohit is ruled out of the first Test during the press conference before leaving from Mumbai.

Team physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain said that Rahul was fine after treatment. Jain said in the video, “The most important thing for us was to ensure that he did not have any fracture. It has been 48 hours since the injury and he is fine after treatment. Now he is ready to play.”

Associate physio Yogesh Parmar said the treatment was to control the pain. “I took him for X-rays and scans and based on the reports I was confident that he would be fine,” he said. “It was a matter of controlling the pain and giving him confidence. From a medical point of view, he is absolutely fine,” he said.