KL Rahul injury scare as India batsmen struggle in WACA match simulation
KL Rahul left the field after taking a knock on the elbow due to an injury problem for India ahead of the first Test, while Virat Kohli shrugged off speculation about his fitness but was one of several batsmen caught behind of the wicket in a simulation of a match within the team at the WACA.

 

After three days in the WACA nets, India stepped up their preparations a week ahead of the series opener at Optus Stadium with an XI featuring their top stars in the middle against a team filled mostly with fringe and Indian players TO.

 

Perhaps in an indication that he is destined to open, batting captain Rohit Sharma misses the first Test, Rahul opened alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.

 

Rahul seemed to have a fluid touch and seemed to be handling the short bowling well until he was hit on the right elbow by a rising delivery from quick Prasidh Krishna. The blow left him grimacing and he struggled to his feet after seeking medical attention.

 

Jaiswal started aggressively with a belligerent drive through the sheets, but in the 15th over he managed a second slip in what would become a common sight during a simulation that lasted two and a half hours before lunch.

 

Amid reports that he has undergone scans in recent days, Kohli looked in good shape and played a couple of superb shots through the sheets. But in the 15th over he beat seamer Mukesh Kumar at second slip before spending about 30 minutes in the near nets.

 

Short-pitch bowling had been a priority for India’s batsmen on Thursday, with the local club quicks unleashing great pace while some batsmen took part in a drill in which a tennis ball was shot from close range aiming at their heads.

 

So far, the WACA surface in this simulation has had considerably less bounce and carry than Sheffield Shield matches this season. But there has been some movement over a length and India’s batsmen looked poor.

 

Rishabh Pant, who had struggled against the short ball at times during his net sessions earlier in the week, smoked a boundary for offside early in his innings but looked shaken after taking a blow to the groin. It was cleaned up by a quick delivery from Nitish Kumar Reddy, who came into his own after also claiming Dhruv Jurel at the slips.

 

No. 3 Shubman Gill started slowly and struggled to get strike during his two-hour stay in the crease. He began to look more comfortable before the 28th over fended off a short and long delivery from quick Navdeep Saini, who celebrated wildly.

 

The rare sight at the WACA of spin from both ends occurred just before the interval with Washington Sundar and Tanush Kotian bowling in tandem as the batting side reached the break at 106 for 5 after 28 overs.

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