India is facing a new headache ahead of the World Test Championship final against Australia due to injuries sustained by KL Rahul and Jaydev Unadkat. Rahul pulled his hip flexor muscle during an IPL match and had to leave the field with assistance. Unadkat suffered a shoulder injury during training. The extent of their injuries and their availability for the final is yet to be determined.
Rahul sustained the injury while chasing a ball during a match. He was unable to walk and lay on the ground in pain for a while. Vice-captain Krunal Pandya said that Rahul has pulled his hip flexor muscle but the extent of his injury is still unknown. Unadkat’s injury occurred when he slipped badly while bowling at the nets and fell on his left shoulder. It is not yet known if it is a dislocation.
India has not announced its stand-by list for the final but they have several options to replace the injured players. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhimanyu Easwaran are top-order options while Ishan Kishan can keep wickets. Arshdeep Singh is the only quality left-arm option available if Unadkat is unable to play. Other right-arm options include Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini, but they may also be unavailable due to injuries.
