India dealt with another setback as Gill suffers thumb injury - reports

India chose to get ready for the upcoming Perth test, scheduled to begin on Friday, by holding closed-door squad sessions instead of playing a practice match against a local team.

Gill injured his left thumb while fielding and is a major doubt for the match, the Times of India and other media outlets reported, citing sources. The team did not provide immediate comment when contacted by Reuters about Gill's condition.

The news further compounds India's issues at the top of the batting order with skipper Rohit Sharma not yet in Australia after staying home for the birth of his second child, who was delivered on Friday.

Gill has batted at number three since midway through last year but opened for most of his first 30 tests and was a leading candidate to top the order, with Yashasvi Jaiswal in Rohit's absence.

Another candidate, KL Rahul, left the field on Friday's first day of the intra-squad session after being struck on the elbow by fast-bowling teammate Prasidh Krishna.

The 32-year-old lost his place in the team during their recent 3-0 home series loss to New Zealand after scoring 12 runs over two innings batting at number six in the first test.

The test team have been practising match simulations against a side comprising India A squad members and fringe players at the WACA ground in Perth.

Devdutt Padikka, who made his test debut in March and is in Australia with the India A squad, has been asked to stay in the country, Espncricinfo.com reported.

There is less concern about Virat Kohli, the Times of India reported, after the batting mainstay took part in the sessions despite having scans on an undisclosed injury earlier in the week.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.