ENG vs IND: Mayank Agarwal suffers concussion after getting hit on head; ruled out of 1st Test

The first Test of the five-match series between England and India is less than two days away. The visitors have already been rocked with multiple injuries as three players are ruled out and the two replacements named – Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav – will only be available after the first two Tests. Team India has been hit with a major blow as their opener Mayank Agarwal has been ruled out of the first Test in Nottingham.

After an injury to Shubman Gill, Agarwal was confirmed to open the innings in Nottingham. After injuries to other players, another opener Abhimanyu Easwaran was drafted into the squad while Shaw has only left Sri Lanka with Surya recently after testing negative for COVID-19.

Coming back to Agarwal getting hit in the nets, the batsman suffered a blow on the back of his head while facing the pace bowler Mohammed Siraj. Agarwal took his eyes off the short ball and was hit on the helmet. He was apparently in some discomfort and sat on the ground while the physio Nitin Patel attended him. The latter then pressed on the back of Agarwal who eventually walked off the field.

The BCCI confirmed in its press release that Mayank Agarwal has suffered concussion but also confirmed that he is able and is being watched closely by the medical team. “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,” BCCI said.

KL Rahul to open?

It remains to be seen now if Easwaran will be considered to open. More so, KL Rahul could also be asked to open the innings even though he is identified as a middle-order backup batsman. He scored a stunning century in the three-day warm-up game while batting at six and it remains to be seen if the circumstances make him open for India again. Incidentally, Rahul last scored a Test ton on the previous tour of England in the final Test.