Border-Gavaskar Trophy: KL Rahul returns to batting in India’s practice session

Perth: In what comes as welcome news for India in their build-up to the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test starting on November 22, KL Rahul returned to batting during the team’s training session at the WACA Stadium on Sunday.

During India’s intra-squad match simulation on Friday, Rahul retired hurt on 29 after taking a blow to his right elbow by a climbing delivery from tall pacer Prasidh Krishna, and was forced to go off the field with the physio. As he left grimacing in pain, Rahul didn’t return to batting for the rest of the day and on Saturday as well.

Various reports coming from Perth on Sunday said Rahul was put through a solid practice of the Indian team, where players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant hadn’t turned up at the WACA. It also said Rahul spent nearly an hour batting on the centre wicket, before commencing further practice at the nets.

Though Rahul wasn’t much fluent with the bat, he didn’t show signs of discomfort too. With Shubman Gill all set to miss first Test due to a fractured thumb picked up while catching in the slips and uncertainty around Rohit Sharma making it to Perth in time after the birth of his second child on November 15, Rahul’s return to batting is welcome news for the Indian team.

Rahul is one of the top-order batting options in the visitors’ line-up for the five-match series alongside uncapped Abhimanyu Easwaran, though India can also call upon left-handed batting duo of B Sai Sudarshan and Devdutt Padikkal, who had good knocks as India A batters in the two four-day games against Australia A.

Hosts Australia will have their first training session at the WACA on Monday, while India, had a week full of nets and centre-wicket stimulations, featuring the main players and A team members. India will begin their preparation at the Optus Stadium, the venue for the first Test, from Tuesday. ians

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