Ahead of the first Test against England, the Indian camp suffered a minor setback as opening batsman Mayank Agarwal was deemed unavailable for selection due to injury.
While playing in the nets, the 30-year-old batsman was hit on his helmet ahead of India's opening Test match against hosts England in Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Following an assessment, the BCCI medical team have decided against risking Agarwal's inclusion in the Indian roster after he showed signs of concussion. Although now stable, the Punjab Kings opening batsman will remain under medical observation temporarily, and will miss the first Test against Joe Root's team.
This could be a big blow to team India, who were already without fellow opener Shubman Gill, who suffered a stress fractures a weeks back. Agarwal was touted to be the replacement for the 22-year-old and play his first ever Test match in English conditions. However, this injury setback has delayed that debut for Agarwal, as team India will now have to look elsewhere to fill in that opening berth when they take the field on August 4.