Prithvi Shaw ruled out of India vs Australia 1st Test due to ankle injury, no replacement announced

Rising Indian batsman Prithvi Shaw, who scored a brilliant fifty on Day 2 of the India-Australia tour match, has been ruled out of the first Test due to an ankle injury. Shaw was rushed to the hospital where the scans revealed a lateral ligament injury. The Mumbai batsman is now expected to undergo an “intensive rehabilitation program”. No replacement has been named for him so far. With Shaw out of 1st Test, Murali Vijay is likely to open the innings with KL Rahul in the first test beginning from December 6.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also confirmed the news on Twitter. “The medical team is assessing Prithvi Shaw at the moment. He hurt his left ankle while attempting to take a catch at the boundary ropes. Shaw is being taken to the hospital for scans,” BCCI wrote on its official Twitter account.

Fielding at the deep midwicket boundary on Day 3 of the tour game, the 19-year-old caught Australian batsman Max Bryant just inside the ropes but fell on the other side as the momentum took him beyond the ropes. Shaw immediately looked in severe pain after twisting his ankle. India physio Patrick Farhart rushed to the field and was soon taking Shaw off the field.

Opening the innings with KL Rahul, Shaw scored 66 runs off 69 balls and was one of the five Indian batsmen to score a half-century in Sydney. He was all but certain to open the innings after Rahul failed yet again. Rahul, who scored 3 runs in the tour match, is now likely to open in the first Test with Murali Vijay – who has been recalled into the Test squad after being sent back home from mid-series on India’s tour to England earlier this year.

It remains to be seen whether selectors pick one batsman between Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal as Shaw’s replacement. The first Test of the four-match series will begin at the Adelaide Oval from December 6.