IND vs AUS: KL Rahul Leaves Field After Being Struck on Elbow When Batting in Perth Simulation Match

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Team India given injury scare a week before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as KL Rahul was forced to leave the field following a blow to his elbow when batting during a simulation match in Perth.

Rahul was reportedly struck on his right elbow from a bouncer during the intra-squad practice match in Perth. The 32-year-old tried to resume innings after immediate attention from the physios, but was forced to exit the field with discomfort.

Pictures of Rahul leaving the field in pain sparked concern as the Karnataka batter was expected to fill in for skipper Rohit Sharma as an opener in the India vs Australia Test series opener, scheduled to start on November 22 at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

In the simualtion match, Rahul opened the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, hinting Team India's plan for the Perth Test, which the captain Rohit Sharma is expected to miss due to personal reasons.

This injury if serious will be a blow to India in their preparations for the five-match series opener. However, reports have indicated that the extent of the injury may not be big and the batter should be available for the series opener.

If Rahul fails to overcome the injury in time for the Perth Test, then Team India will have to hand a debut to Abhimanyu Easwaran or shuffle the batting order and promote Shubman Gill up the order with Dhruv Jurel playing as a pure batter in the middle order.

Apart from the Rahul injury, Team India also suffered another injury scare during practice on Thursday (November 14) when Sarfaraz was spotted leaving the training session early after being hit on his elbow.

In a training clip posted by Fox Cricket, Sarfaraz was seen walking off after the session when he was hit on his right elbow while batting. Team India was practising in Perth's Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) ground. As per Wisden, Sarfaraz faces "no issues" with his elbow after the hit.