Not Dhruv Jurel! This Former RCB Batter Set To Replace Shubman Gill In First Test In Perth: Report

India’s preparation for the Border Gavaskar Trophy took a hit as fractured his thumb during a practice session at the WACA as per reports. Gill is now certain to miss the first Test in Perth which starts from November 22. A BCCI source told the Times of India, “He hurt his thumb while fielding in the slips. He was sent for scans, and it seems he's suffering from a hairline fracture. He will miss the first Test due to the injury but should return for the second.” Gill will be a big miss given his antics on Australian soil last time as India won the Test series and as per Sportstar, Devdutt Padikkal has emerged as a candidate to replace Gill in the starting XI. Devdutt Padikkal was a part of the India A team and he has been told to stay back and practice with the Indian team while the rest of the India A team is all set to return on Monday. KL Rahul who also sustained an injury on his elbow has returned to practice which will ease pressure on the visitors. Rohit Sharma’s availability is still uncertain for the Perth Test. The Indian skipper has recently been blessed with a baby boy and if he misses the first Test, vice captain Jasprit Bumrah will lead the Indian team. India are the current holders of the Border Gavaskar Trophy and they need to win the Test series 4-0 to have any chance of qualifying for the WTC final.

India Test squad for AustraliaRohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. ReservesMukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed