Australia has hosted the Indian team for the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The squad enjoys practice sessions at WACA Stadium prior to the first Test, which is set to begin on November 22 in Perth. One week before the rest of the team arrived, India’s star batsman KL Rahul landed in Australia. He represented India A in a four-day match against Australia A.
Following the home defeat by New Zealand, Indian hitters are being closely watched for their lack of runs. Rahul, who was benched for the previous two Test matches against the Kiwis, will be hoping to make the starting lineup against Australia. He was hit in the elbow by the right-handed batter during his net practice. He appeared uneasy, so he had to end the treatment despite his desire to continue and left with the physiotherapist.
Here’s the pictures of KL Rahul leaving practice session:
KL Rahul’s not looking very comfortable after being struck on his right elbow/forearm off a rising delivery. Tried to resume batting by shaking it off but clearly couldn’t. And now leaving with the physio #AusvInd pic.twitter.com/JFivRNx7af
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) November 15, 2024
For us, it’s a match between two strong teams: Gambhir Gautam
Without depending on other outcomes, India must win the five-match Test series by a minimum of 4-0 in order to guarantee their spot in the 2025 World Test Championship final. Their WTC prospects have been harmed by their 3-0 loss to the Kiwis.
In addition, India comes into the Australian den with confidence after winning the previous two Test series there. Prior to the series, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasised that the team should treat the series like any other and not worry about making it to the WTC final.
“Whether we qualify [for the final] or not is not something we are considering in the World Test Championship. Simply put, when you are representing your country, every series matters.
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We see it as a match between two strong teams, and we are fully motivated to go out there and perform in an attempt to win the series,” Gambhir said.