Rohit Sharma out for first test, fit KL Rahul shall open the innings in Perth, Jasprit Bumrah takes captaincy charge

Rahul was struck on the elbow by a rising delivery from Prasidh Krishna on the opening day of the intra-squad practice match. After receiving treatment in the middle, he walked off, but to the relief of the Indian camp there is no injury.

On Sunday, the final day of the team’s practice at the WACA, Rahul batted for a considerable time and took part in all the drills during a three-hour training session, as per reports. “I had got a bad hit on Day 1 of the game. I am feeling good today, getting ready for the first game. Happy that I could come here early and get used to the conditions. Yeah, I got a lot of time to prepare for this series and I am excited and looking forward to it,” Rahul said in a video shared by BCCI on X.

India team assistant physio Yogesh Parmar said that from a medical point of view, Rahul was fine after treatment. “I took him for X-Ray and scan and based on the report I was more confident that he should be fine. It was a matter of controlling the pain and giving him some confidence,” Parmar said.