In a major blow for India’s Test team, a thumb fracture has ruled out top-order batsman Shubman Gill from the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy which begins in Perth from next Friday. Gill fractured his thumb when he was fielding during a match simulation session in Perth on Saturday.

“His thumb is not looking good. We got a scan done and it showed a fracture. It will take him at least two weeks to recover. He is ruled out for the first Test match. As there is a big gap between the first and second Test, we are hoping he will recover in time for the second Test,” a BCCI source said. 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.