India received a significant boost ahead of the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia in Perth, as KL Rahul has been declared fit by the BCCI medical team. Rahul sustained an elbow injury during an intra-squad match simulation at WACA in Perth. Despite being dropped from the India squad during the New Zealand series, Rahul has been recalled for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and is expected to play a crucial role in the five-match series due to his exceptional skills and experience playing in Australia.
The uncertainty surrounding the availability of captain Rohit Sharma and the injury to Shubman Gill had left India concerned, making Rahul's fitness all the more crucial. Physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar provided an update on Rahul's injury and confirmed that the batter has recovered in time for the highly anticipated series.
“I took him for the x-ray and scan and, based upon the reporting, I was a lot more confident that he should be fine. It was just a matter of controlling the pain and giving him some confidence,” Parmar said. “From a medical point of view, he is absolutely fine,” he added.
With Shubman Gill sidelined, Rahul is expected to step in as the opening batsman in Perth alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. Rohit Sharma recently welcomed a baby boy and has yet to join the team in Australia, making it likely that he will miss the first Test. In response, India included Abhimanyu Easwaran in the squad as a backup opener, but he struggled in the practice matches against Australia A and the intra-squad game.
If Rohit is unavailable, India may have to field both Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan in the starting lineup. Jurel showed good form in the second practice game against Australia A, scoring two fifties. Additionally, India has reportedly asked Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devdutt Padikkal to remain in Australia as reserve batsmen.
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