India were dealt a telling blow on Saturday after star top-order batter Shubman Gill sustained a left thumb fracture which is likely to rule him out of the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Optus Stadium in Perth, starting November 22. Gill, one of the young heroes of India’s last Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph, is a batting mainstay and in case skipper Rohit Sharma opts out of the first Test, India’s top-order could look very thin.

Gill got hurt while fielding on the second day of the intra-squad match simulation. He was seen in considerable pain and immediately left the field for further scans.

According to a BCCI source privy to the development, Gill has indeed fractured his left thumb and with less than a week left for the Test to start, it will be near impossible for the stylish right-hander to get fit in time for the opening match.

A thumb fracture generally takes around 14 days to heal after which one is expected to start his regular net sessions. Since the second Test in Adelaide starts from December 6, there remains a possibility that he will get fit in time for that match.

Gill’s absence could be massive for the national team as he is not only a stable number three batter but in case of Rohit’s absence, he could be considered for opening the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The other man in contention, Lokesh Rahul, has a bruised elbow after getting hit by a Prasidh Krishna short ball on the opening day of the intra-squad match and was forced to leave the field.

Rahul’s bruised area needed icing and he didn’t take the field on the second day of the match simulation on Saturday although it is being seen more as a precautionary measure.

In case Gill is absent, Abhimanyu Easwaran could be in line for his Test debut as India do not have too many options left.

However, if skipper Rohit, who was blessed with a baby boy, decides to join forces with three days of training, then it would be a different story.

Mohammed Shami, who has bowled more than 43.2 overs, took seven wickets and scored 37 runs in Ranji Trophy, is certainly going to join the team before the second Test.

The last day of the match simulation will happen at the WACA on Sunday after which India A squad, barring reserve players, will be back to India and join their respective state teams for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The main squad will then move to Optus Stadium in Perth where they will have three net sessions from Tuesday to Thursday before going into the Test starting Friday.

A Test series against Australia is a transformative experience after which an individual “goes back a better cricketer” is what head coach Gautam Gambhir and some of the star senior players have been trying to instil in the younger members of the team on their first tour ‘Down Under’. It will be a baptism of fire for several young Indian players, with the visitors naming as many as eight squad members who have never played a Test match on Australian soil. The likes of Yashaswi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Reddy, Harshit Rana, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna, all of them on their maiden tours will have plenty to prove during the marquee series, starting here from November 22.

And who better than the troika of Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, both on their fifth Test tours (2011-12, 14-15, 18-19, 20-21) and Jasprit Bumrah, who is on his third red ball tour (2018-19, 20-21) to share their invaluable learnings from the past series.

“Gauti bhai (Gambhir) had a chat with the boys just before we started, we had some of the senior boys as well,” Nayar said in video posted by bcci.tv. on Thursday.

“Booms (Bumrah), Virat , Ash (Ashwin) having a chat with the guys how first they came here as youngsters with a lot of seniors around and how they sort of felt that once you finish an Australia series you go back a better cricketer.” “I think the young boys are very keen, raring to go and hopefully make a name for themsleves bu the end of this tour.

“It’s one of the toughest challenges for an Indian cricketer coming here and overcoming it, Nayar added.

Bowling coach Morne Morkel described the series as “a showpiece on the international calendar” and predicted that both teams would go hard at each other in every session.

“I think it’s a showpiece on the international calendar since it’s going to be teams that not going to give anybody an inch or a sniff and it is going to be hard-fought sessions,” Morkel said “I’m hopeful for the five Test matches is hard. Five days of cricket when you sit after the day’s play and you take your shoes off and say ‘Listen, I have given it all’,” he added.

Since 2014-15, Australia have not been able to lay their hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with India winning four consecutive series including the historic triumphs Down Under in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

India remain the only Asian nation to beat the Australia at their backyard in a Test series.

They are the only team Australia have failed to defeat in their last 16 Test series.

“It’s become a big part of Indian cricket to come here and do well. It’s obviously a very proud moment that India won here twice in the last two times as well as winning it in India,” assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said. 

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar analysed Abhimanyu Easwaran and KL Rahul’s poor showing during the second match between India A and Australia A and also offered an important advice to batters making their first tour to the country. Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting with Perth Test on November 22, KL and Easwaran got some much-needed game time in Australian conditions during the two unofficial Tests against Australia A. While Easwaran failed to touch 20-run mark in all four innings played, the experienced KL also failed to deliver, scoring 4 and 10 in the second match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

This puts doubt to their participation in the first Test at Perth. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is likely to miss the match due to personal reasons and the race for opening spot is between these two players.

Speaking in a video by ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar said that the dismissal of India A batters is very similar to what any Indian batter would experience during their first time playing in Australia. He also added that the Indian team is heading into the tour as “underconfident” after a home series loss to New Zealand, with key players like Rohit and Virat Kohli not in form

Manjrekar also offered a word of advice, urging Indian batters to get rid of “Indian instincts” while playing and adapting to Australian conditions.

“I guess in many ways India have gone there (Australia) slightly underconfident because of what happened just prior to that tour (0-3 loss to New Zealand at home) and their main players Rohit and Virat clearly out of form,” said Manjrekar.

“The dismissal that you saw of most Indian batters was typical of an Indian batter going to Australia and a pitch that has some juice in it where instinctively they are playing in a certain manner and are surprised by the the extra bounce and that happened to all of us.”

“We went to Australia and that is why we needed time to get used to the bounce and instinctively sort of play a little higher than you would. So you have to get rid of the Indian instincts. KL and Easwaran, not a great start. So the battle between them heats up even more,” he concluded.

While Easwaran could make his international debut after 101 first-class matches, 7,674 runs and 27 centuries, KL has plenty of Australian experience by his side. Against Australia, KL has scored 618 runs in 19 innings at an average of 34.33, with a century and six fifties and best individual score of 110. However in five matches in Australia, KL’s numbers are poor, scoring 187 runs in nine innings at an average of 20.77, with a century to his name.

The much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia kicks off on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.

The second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.

The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series’ penultimate stage.

The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.