Watch: Mohammed Siraj injures Shubman Gill in nets with lethal delivery ahead of MCG Test

The Indian cricket team is currently gearing up for the mist-win Boxing Day Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, starting on December 26.

Ahead of the fourth Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), India has faced yet another injury scare after the skipper, Rohit Sharma, confirmed his availability for the upcoming Boxing Day Test against Australia. Notably, Rohit was hit on his knee during the nets session in Melbourne.

Shubman Gill faces an injury scare ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Australia

Actually, on December 24, Shubman Gill was struck on the right thumb by a quick delivery from Mohammed Siraj during India’s nets session in Melbourne. Siraj immediately checked on him as Gill stopped batting and looked after his thumb for a moment.

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Following the mini heart attack, the Indian cricket team physio rushed over to check whether the blow was serious. However, Shubman Gill appeared normal after shaking off his hand, asking Mohammed Siraj to return to his point following a brief pause and sending the physio back.

Interestingly, the right-handed batter decided to continue his session, taking his guard to face Mohammed Siraj again to dismiss any concern over the blow. Notably, Shubman Gill was batting on a fresh pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which offered plenty of pace and bounce.

He's a quality player, just about backing his strength: Rohit Sharma defends struggling Shubman Gill

Notably, Shubman Gill missed the first Test at Perth Stadium due to an injury, and Devdutt Padikkal replaced him, but he failed to make an impact. Gill returned for the second and managed only 31 and 28 in Adelaide. Gill was dismissed for just 1 by the in-form Mitchell Starc in the Gabba Test.

Amidst Gill’s struggles, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma has extended his support, as he was satisfied with how the young batter had batted during the pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval, despite their suffering a 10-wicket loss to Australia earlier this month.

Rohit Sharma said at the press conference at the MCG: “Shubman, in both innings in Adelaide, I thought he looked good. I am not going to look too much into Brisbane. Gill has been one of our young prospects playing well. These tours can be challenging, same as they (Australia) travel to India. He's a quality (player), just about backing his strength.”

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KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Akash Deep suffer blows at the nets

Meanwhile, body blows are common in the nets, and most recently KL Rahul was hit on the finger, while Rohit Sharma took a blow on the knee while batting on a Melbourne pitch that was for white-ball cricket. Additionally, Indian pacer Akash Deep also took a hit during the nets session.

Despite these blows, there are no injury concerns within the Indian camp ahead of the fourth Test of the ongoing five-match Test series, which is currently tied at 1-1 after the Gabba Test ended in a draw between India and Australia, thanks to the poor weather in Brisbane.

Notably, Gill had made his Test debut at the MCG in 2020. In his first innings, he fell short of a half-century, scoring 45 runs while opening with Mayank Agarwal. During India’s run chase, he remained unbeaten on 35, as they won the match by eight wickets under Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy.