Why is Shubman Gill not playing today's 1st BGT 2024-25 Test in Perth?

India have confirmed the absence of No. 3 batter Shubman Gill from the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The opening contest against Australia begins at the Perth Stadium on Friday, November 22.

Gill injured his left thumb while fielding at slips during India's match simulation at the WACA. He was taken to scans, which didn't turn out too badly. However, he was ruled out of the series opener.

After the toss in Perth, which India won and opted to bat first, the BCCI confirmed the injury in a statement.

"Shubman Gill sustained a left thumb injury during Day 2 of match simulation at The WACA. He was not considered for selection for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress on a daily basis," it read.

The initial fear was Gill might be out for a couple of weeks. But now, all signs and media reports indicate that he might be able to make it to the second Test, starting on December 6 in Adelaide.

There's also a warm-up game between Perth and Adelaide - a two-day contest against a Prime Minister's 11 team in Canberra.

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India's playing 11 without Shubman Gill

India have fielded a young-looking side in the absence of not just Gill but also skipper Rohit Sharma and pacer Mohammed Shami.

Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal, who was asked to stay back from the India A and played two games against Australia A here before the Test series, has replaced Gill. He played an innings of 88 apart from 26, 36, and 1 in four chances.

KL Rahul will open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal and there are two debutants - Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy - in the bowling department.

India's playing 11: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (c) and Mohammed Siraj.

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