India vs Australia: KL Rahul injures his wrist during practice, ruled out of last 2 Tests

Team India is jolted by yet another injury - this time it is wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul who has been ruled out of the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar trophy after picking up an injury during practice. KL Rahul will join Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for the rehabilitation of his injury, the BCCI informed on Wednesday just a day ahead of the third Test against Australia. According to the BCCI, KL Rahul sprained his left wrist while India was practising at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG) on Saturday. 

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KL Rahul ruled out of Australia series

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India level series at MCG, eye lead at SCG 

Staging a gutsy comeback in the second Test after the Adelaide rout, the touring Indian party without several key players defeated the Australians by 8 wickets to level the Test series 1-1 on Tuesday. The Indian bowlers worked in tandem to bundle the Aussies out for just 200 in their second innings as the batsmen just had to chase a paltry total of 70 which they did in style.

While Team India eyes to take the lead in the series at the SCG, they will have to answer a few questions surrounding their playing XI before they take the field on January 7. The Men in Blue have been dealt with severe blows as key bowlers including Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami have been ruled out of the tournament due to injuries. The management has brought in Navdeep Saini and T Natarajan as their replacement. However, their inexperience in Tests, could see Ajinkya Rahane opt Shardul Thakur for the role of the third pacer. The stand-in skipper will also have to re-arrange the top order with the inclusion of Rohit Sharma into the team. 

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Who will gain the upper hand at SCG?

Australia had drawn first blood in the pink-ball Test match at the Adelaide Oval that had ended just inside three days. However, a determined Team India ensured that they have kept the four-match series alive by registering a famous win in the Boxing Day Test match last week.  The focus now shifts towards the third Test match that will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground next Thursday i.e. January 7, 2021. Both teams will be hoping to secure the four-match series by winning the SCG Test. The winner of this contest will ensure that they at least do not end up losing the Test series. 

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