Shubman Gill to miss first Test against Australia: Indian media

PERTH: Young top-order batter Shubman Gill will miss the first Test of the five-match away series against Australia due to a thumb injury, a renowned Indian newspaper reported on Sunday.

According to the report, the right-handed batter sustained a hair-line fracture on his left thumb while fielding in the slips during the team’s practice match on Saturday.

“He hurt his thumb while fielding in the slips. He was sent for scans, and it seems he’s suffering from a hairline fracture. He will miss the first Test due to the injury but should return for the second,” the Indian news outlet quoted a Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) source as saying.

Besides Shubman Gill, Indian captain Rohit Sharma is also unlikely to feature in the opening Test as he and his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, welcomed their second child on Friday night.

"It seems like he wants to spend some time with his family before leaving for Australia for what will be a very long tour. Also, it takes time to adjust to the conditions in Australia, so there's no point in arriving at the 11th hour and playing a Test on a bouncy Perth pitch. Apparently, he has communicated to the BCCI that he will join the team before the second Test in Adelaide. There's a long gap between the first and second Tests, and it makes sense for him to play in the tour match at Canberra, starting Nov. 30, before the second Test," a source was quoted as saying by the publisher.

With Gill ruled out and Rohit unlikely for the series opener, India search for Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening partner and the No.3.