India’s captain Rohit Sharma has sustained a massive injury scare during the practice session ahead of India’s semi-final clash against England, set to be played in Adelaide on 10 November. Rohit was one of the three batters, alongside Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik, to turn up for the optional practice session.  

Rohit was doing his batting drill, facing balls from the throwdown specialist S Raghu, when he was hit sharply on his forehand. The Indian skipper grimaced in pain and immediately sought medical attention. He returned to the net to check the extent of his injury but wasn’t able to continue for more than a ball.  

It is reported that Rohit was marginally late on his short-arm pull against a 150kph ball, and got hit just above his wrist. He was seen applying an ice pack on his arm and had a long chat with the mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton. The official confirmation of his injury is still awaited, but he will be racing against time to be fit for the semi-final, which begins in less than 48 hours.  

It hasn’t been a prolific tournament for Rohit, who has just one innings of note, against the Netherlands, where he scored 53. His cheap dismissals have resulted in a series of false starts for the Indian team, and much of the burden has been shouldered by Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav.  

Irrespective of his form, losing a veteran player like Rohit at such a crucial stage of the tournament will be a massive blow to Team India. KL Rahul is likely to be promoted as stand-in captain, in case Rohit doesn’t return for the match on Thursday.  

India will be heading into the semi-finals on the back of a 71-run victory against Zimbabwe. KL Rahul scored his second consecutive half-century, while Suryakumar Yadav slammed an unbeaten 61. Rishabh Pant was brought in for Dinesh Karthik, but he failed to step, getting out on 3. It remains to be seen whether India persists with Pant or goes back to Karthik. Another cause of concern is the form of Hardik Pandya, as he hasn’t been able to provide the final flourish in the last few overs. 

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