The first Test of the five-match Test series between England and India has commenced on 4th August. Mayank Agarwal was expected to be the opening partner of Rohit Sharma, but his name is not seen in the Indian lineup.
Mayank Agarwal’s absence would be a significant setback to Team India. Agarwal was forced to withdraw from the first Test due to an injury. On Monday, he was hit on the head by a short ball from Mohammed Siraj while training in the nets. He has now been replaced by his Karnataka teammate KL Rahul. This event occurs only days after Shubman Gill was ruled out of the series owing to a shin injury.
The BCCI officially announced Mayank’s injury. According to the BCCI press release:
“Opening batsman Mayank Agarwal was hit on the helmet while batting during India’s nets session at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Monday.”
“The BCCI Medical Team assessed him, and a concussion test was conducted. He has shown signs of concussion and is ruled out of the opening Test against England. The 30-year-old is stable and will remain under close medical observation.” read BCCI’s statement.
Mayank Agarwal is out, but here is India’s Playing XI for the first Test against England
As mentioned earlier, the first Test match between England and India commenced earlier on the day. England skipper Joe Root won the toss and had elected to bat first at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
The Indian side is missing the services of Mayank Agarwal who KL Rahul has replaced. They are playing with the combination of one spinner and four pacers. It will be a challenging series for Virat Kohli and men. This series will be a part of the second WTC cycle. Thus, both teams would be hoping to start their campaign on a positive note.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
