Published 18:44 IST, January 15th 2021
'One way to get your opening spot back,' quips Hogg as Shaw nearly injures Hitman
The incident led to former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg quipping that Prithvi Shaw was trying to get his opening spot back for the next series.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
With Team India's tour of Australia being marred with injuries, the visitors were on the brink of losing another player on Friday morning at the Gabba during the final Test. After Navdeep Saini walked off with a niggle, Prithvi Shaw had been brought into the field as a substitute. The young opening batsman has faced a lot of backlash over his poor performances in the first two Tests, after which he had been dropped.
However, Shaw found himself at the receiving end yet again despite being excluded from the playing XI. During India's fielding on Day 1, as Matthew Wade tried to sneak a single, Shaw rushed to run him out and fiercely threw the ball at the stumps, which instead hit India's prized batsman and vice-captain Rohit Sharma on his abdomen. While the opener did not complain of an injury, Shaw invited netizens' wrath upon himself with his fierce but misaimed throw. Sharma continued to field after a brief pause. The incident also led to former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg quipping that Shaw was trying to get his opening spot back for the next series.
Taking to Twitter, Hogg shared a video of the incident and wrote, "One way to get your opening spot back for the next series!"
Saini limps off field
India could be dealt with another major blow as pacer Navdeep Saini complained of pain in his groin area forcing him to limp off the field on Day one of the 4th Test against Australia at Brisbane. Playing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy decider at the hosts' fort the Gabba, India are already faced with sufficient trouble by fielding an inexperienced side due to a series of injuries to the experienced stars over the last two games. Providing an update on Navdeep Saini, BCCI informed that the pacer was being monitored by the BCCI's medical team after he complained of pain in his groin. The young gun has been taken for scans and an official comment is yet awaited on his injury.
Australia eye a mammoth total
The coin once again landed in Australian Test skipper Tim Paine's favour and for the third straight time, he elected to bat first. The Aussies lost both their openers David Warner & Marcus Harris early before their famed top-order duo of Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith carried out the rescue act with a 70-run stand for the fourth wicket before the latter was dismissed.
Labuschagne did get some support from middle-order batsman Matthew Wade (45) but it was the South African-born cricketer who took matters into his own hands and went after the Indian bowlers. He got a reprieve when he was batting on 37 after he was dropped by India's stand-in-captain Ajinkya Rahane at gully. The 26-year-old made the visitors pay for and notched up his fifth Test century and just when it appeared that the number three batsman was unstoppable, he was dismissed for 108 after mistiming a pull shot and was caught behind by Rishabh Pant off T Natarajan. Australia are 274/5 at stumps on Day 1.
Updated 18:44 IST, January 15th 2021