India opener Mayank Agarwal has been ruled out of series opener against England after he was hit on the head by a short-pitched delivery from Mohammad Siraj. With Agarwal now out, the team management will ask his close friend KL Rahul to open. There’s a back-up opener available as well: Abhimanyu Easwaran.
While facing Siraj, possibly the fastest in the current Indian line-up, Agarwal was apparently hit on the back of his head when he took his eyes off a short ball and took a blow on his helmet. He was in some discomfort after opening the helmet as he sat on the ground with physio Nitin Patel attending him.
He was then seen pressing the back of his head while leaving the nets escorted by Patel. It is expected that he will have to undergo a mandatory concussion test before being cleared to play the Test match. In case he is unable to play, KL Rahul, who has mostly opened in Test matches but prefers a middle-order slot these days, could be asked to open. The other option is Bengal opener Abhumanyu Easwaran.
Team India have been hit by injuries already as youngsters like Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan and Washington Sundar all out of series. As a result, the BCCI had to fly in replacements from Sri Lanka. Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw will be joining the squad as the duo is getting ready to fly out in the next 24 hours as reported by Deccan Chronicle.
“They are waiting for their visas. Because of the two holidays (Saturday and Sunday), they could not receive the same through the United Kingdom Embassy office in Sri Lanka. The travel agent has been following up the matter and it is hoped they would leave within 24 hours to join Team India in England", one of the sources told Deccan Chronicle.
(With agency inputs)
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