NEW DELHI: India's star batter KL Rahul was forced to retire hurt after being struck by a rising delivery during the Indian team's intra-squad match simulation at the WACA ahead of the opening Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
Rahul was seen leaving the ground in discomfort, escorted by a physio. Photos of him exiting the field quickly went viral, as injury added to the growing concerns about his form.
The first Test of the BGT begins on November 22 at he Optus Stadium in Perth.
Rahul's performance has been under scrutiny, especially after his recent struggles in the home series against New Zealand, where India faced a 0-3 series defeat.
In his only Test appearance in that series, held in Bengaluru, Rahul was dismissed for scores of 0 and 12, leading to his exclusion from the next two Tests.
Rahul, along with Abhimanya Easwaran, is a candidate to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first BGT Test, with skipper Rohit Sharma likely to be unavailable as his wife is expecting their second child.
Rahul's rough patch continued in a recent India A game against Australia A, where he scored only 4 and 10. With mounting pressure, Rahul is eager to regain his form as India looks to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the challenging Australian conditions.
India are aiming for their third consecutive Test series victory in Australia.
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