Perth (Australia): Indian batter KL Rahul was forced to walk off the field in the practice match ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The incident occurred Indian team’s intra-squad match simulation at the WACA.
Rahul was seen leaving the ground in discomfort according to some media reports. The injury added to the growing concerns regarding his form ahead of the crucial Test series against Australia.
The match simulation was organised for India’s preparation and Rahul’s injury might now potentially open the doors for Abhimanyu Easwaran or others could partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top.
Rahul’s recent form has been a concern for the Indian team as he managed to score only 12 runs from two innings. He also played in the India A squad against Australia before the Border Gavaskar Trophy but the right-handed batter produced scores of 4 and 10 only. In one instance, he was dismissed by the Australian spinner after being bowled through his legs.
India enters into the five-match series against a mighty opponent like Australia after a home series loss to New Zealand losing all three matches. New Zealand kicked off the series with an eight-wicket victory against Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The team then secured wins in the next two matches by 113 and 27 runs respectively.
As a result of the Test series loss against New Zealand, India are now pushed to the second spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table. Now, to secure a place in the WTC final, India must win four of their remaining five red-ball matches.
