IND vs AUS: "No Major Concerns" - Akash Deep Allays Fears After Injury During Nets to Skipper Rohit Sharma

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Indian skipper Rohit Sharma suffered a blow during nets on Sunday (December 22), but pacer Akash Deep has said "there are no major concerns because of that", allaying fears of a serious injury ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Australia.

Rohit sustained a blow to his left knee, while Akash Deep himself had hurt his hand as both players were struck while facing throwdowns in the outdoor practice arena at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The duo were seen in some discomfort, presenting the touring party with a double injury scare four days ahead of the clash in MCG.

Rohit copped a blow to his left knee, but continued to bat. The skipper, however, later received treatment from a physiotherapist as he sat for some time with his leg stretched on a chair, icing the knee, before walking off gingerly.

While there has been no official update on his condition, Akash, who got hit on his hand, said both were routine net injuries. "Injuries happen when you play cricket. This is not a matter of concern" Akash Deep told the reports ahead of the Melbourne Test.

"Such blows are common when you play cricket. I think this (practice pitch) wicket was for white ball which is why the ball kept low at times. "But these blows are common in training. There are no major concerns because of that," Akash said in a press conference.

The 37-year-old Rohit, who missed the series opener at Perth to spend time with his newborn son, has struggled with form. Batting down the order rather than opening at Adelaide and Brisbane, Rohit has managed scores of 3, 6, 10.

Team India will hope their skipper recovers from the blow and also gets back among runs when the Border-Gavaskar Trophy resumes with the Boxing Day Test at the MCG from December 26 with the World Test Championship final spot up for grabs for both teams.

This is not the first blow an Indian player has suffered in practice during this ongoing tour Down Under. On Saturday (December 21), opener KL Rahul also had a blow on his hand while batting at the nets.

Earlier, Shubman Gill missed the first Test in Perth after injuring his finger in a practice session. The Indian number three batter, however, returned to the team in the second Test and also featured in the Brisbane Test earlier in the week.

The series is locked in at 1-1 after three Tests. India won the series opener at the Perth Stadium last month thanks to stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah before the hosts bounced back through century from Travis Head and all-round bowling effort in the day-night Test at Adelaide.

In the rain-hit Brisbane Test, Akash Deep and Bumrah helped India avoid follow-on and ensured Australia batted again before rain had the last laugh. Akash Deep played for the first time in the series in Brisbane, replacing Harshit Rana.