India captain Rohit Sharma had a reason to celebrate on Friday, as his wife Ritika gave birth to a baby boy. This personal milestone not only brings joy to the Sharma family but also brightens Rohit’s prospects of joining the Indian team in time for the first Test against Australia in Perth, starting November 22. His availability would provide much-needed stability to both India’s batting lineup and leadership for the series.
India’s search for an in-form opening partner for Yashasvi Jaiswal continues, with the contenders struggling during India A’s games. Even during the opening day of the three-day match simulation at WACA, there was little progress.
On Friday, KL Rahul, who was expected to open with Jaiswal, suffered an injury to his right elbow from a rising delivery early in the match. Reports suggest that Rahul received treatment on the field but did not return for the rest of the day’s play. Despite the setback, the injury is not considered serious.
In the meantime, Virat Kohli, who had undergone scans on Thursday, reportedly batted without any discomfort during the match simulation, putting any fitness concerns to rest.
Even if Rohit is unavailable for the first Test, India has backup options for the opening position. Specialist opener Abhimanyu Easwaran is part of the Test squad, and Shubman Gill, who has proven his worth as an opener, can also step in. Gill scored 259 runs in his debut series against Australia in 2020-21, including a vital 91 in the Brisbane Test.
India’s top-order had a tough time against the pace attack during practice at the Perth stadium. The batters struggled against Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Prasidh Krishna, with Jaiswal, Kohli, Gill, and Rishabh Pant not spending much time at the crease. However, Jaiswal and Gill had another opportunity to bat later in the day, with Jaiswal finishing unbeaten on 58 and Gill notching up 42.
India’s batting line-up remains under scrutiny following their disappointing series at home, where they lost all three Tests to New Zealand. The lack of runs from senior players like Rohit and Virat Kohli, who had just one half-century between them in six innings against New Zealand, remains a key concern.
