One more piece of bad news for the India team before the start of the 5 match Test series with England, Mayank Agarwal was ruled out of the first test match. He was hit by a ball in his helmet during practice in the net.
However, the BCCI said in a statement that he is now “stable” and will remain under “close medical attention”.
Already, a number of players have been dropped from the squad due to the injury. First, Shubman Gill and later during the practice match, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan were injured and dropped out of the series.
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Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav have been added to the squad as the replacements of Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan. However, the pair will be quarantined for 10 days and will be available from the third Test.
Suryakumar Yadav has done well in the 3-match ODI Series and 3-match T20 series that ended with Sri Lanka a few days ago, which has given him a chance in the India Test team.
NEWS 🚨- Mayank Agarwal ruled out of first Test due to concussion.
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 2, 2021
The 30-year-old is stable and will remain under close medical observation.
More details here – https://t.co/6B5ESUusRO #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/UgOeHt2VQQ
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released an official statement regarding Mayank’s injury. The BCCI said in a statement:
“Opening batsman Mayank Agarwal was hit on the helmet while batting during India’s nets session at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Monday.”
“The BCCI Medical Team assessed him, and a concussion test was conducted. He has shown signs of concussion and is ruled out of the opening Test against England.”
3 potential players who could replace Mayank Agarwal:
Currently, India’s first-choice opening pair in Test cricket is Rohit Sharma and Shubhaman Gill. Mayank Agarwal was the team’s first choice after Shubhaman Gill was dropped from the team. But now Agarwal has also been ruled out due to injury.
India has the option of partnering Rohit Sharma with Abhimanyu Ishwaran or KL Rahul. There are also other options in the team.
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Maybe the team can also open Hanuma Bihari with Rohit Sharma, as they did in Australia. However, the chances of KL Rahul’s opening are a little higher.
Meanwhile, India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has ruled out the possibility of opening the match with Cheteshwar Pujara.
The five-match Test series between England and India will be part of the second WTC. So both teams will want to start the journey of the second WTC season by winning this series. The first Test match will start in Nottingham on August 4.
