India has been dealt a pair of injury blows ahead of the World Test Championship final against Australia, with KL Rahul and Jaydev Unadkat under a cloud ahead of the must-win fixture.
On Sunday, Unadkat tripped on a wire during a net session ahead of Monday’s Indian Premier League match at Lucknow’s Ekana Sports City Stadium, landing heavily on his left shoulder. The quick was in considerable pain after the incident, leaving the training session with his shoulder heavily strapped.
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The 31-year-old was one of five seamers named in India’s 15-player squad for the World Test Championship final, which gets underway at The Oval on June 7.
Earlier this week, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram backed Unadkat to play alongside Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj in the marquee fixture against Australia.
“He is at a stage where he must play regularly because his first-class performances have been good, and his team won the Ranji Trophy. Jaydev Unadkat was also the captain,” Akram said.
“I would like to see Unadkat playing for India, and there are chances of him being successful, given the ball swings at The Oval.”
Meanwhile, Rahul limped off the field after hurting his thigh during the Lucknow Super Giants’ 18-run loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday evening.
The Lucknow captain grabbed at his hamstring and collapsed onto the ground while chasing a cover drive from Bangalore opener Faf du Plessis in the second over of the T20 match.
Rahul refused to be stretchered off the ground, instead limping back to the sheds with the help of a team physio, a decision that frustrated former Indian wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea that he’s walking,” Dasgupta said in commentary.
“He should be on a stretcher. Just get to the dressing room without aggravating it any further and then get the treatment straight away.”
Rahul batted at No. 11 for Lucknow during the run chase, finishing unbeaten on 0 (3) as the hosts were bowled out for 108.
“The medical team will assess him and see how it goes,” Lucknow vice-captain Krunal Pandya said.
The extent of both injuries is yet to be revealed.
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India will be without superstars Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant for the highly-anticipated World Test Championship final, who are both recovering from long-term injuries.
Shreyas Iyer will also be unavailable for the five-day contest against Australia after aggravating his back during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India. Meanwhile, seamers Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav are also both nursing minor injuries.
Rahul’s setback opens the door for former Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane to potentially play his first Test match since January last year.
India famously defeated Australia at the Gabba in January 2021 to claim a 2-1 Test series victory despite most of their first-choice players being unavailable due to injury.
India’s World Test Championship final squad
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat
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