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The first Test between England and India will start on August 4.

Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal. (Photo Source: Twitter)

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. Ahead of the opening Test, team India is once again left sweating over the fitness of the opener Mayank Agarwal who was hit on the head in the nets.

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 his head while facing the pace bowler Mohammed Siraj. According to a report in Hindustan Times, 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.

According to the rules, Agarwal will have to undergo a mandatory concussion test and only after clearing those, he will be available for the first Test starting on August 4 in Nottingham.

Will KL Rahul be able to open?

Unfortunately, if Mayank Agarwal suffers concussion, then Easwaran will be another option for India to consider. 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 cirumstances make him open for India again. Incidentally, Rahul last scored a Test ton on the previous tour of England in the final Test.



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