In a body blow to India’s preparations for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Australia, left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed has been ruled out owing to a shoulder injury he suffered during training. As a replacement, Yash Dayal, an emerging left-arm seamer who has shown promise with his consistency both in domestic cricket as well as in IPL performances, has been selected in the side.
Khaleel was named in the travelling reserves for the five-match Test series, which starts on November 22 at Perth Stadium. His absence diminishes India’s left-arm pace options, a precious commodity in Australian conditions, with their bounce and pace-friendly wickets. This has caused a second injury to India’s squad, following the groin injury that has ruled Kuldeep Yadav out as well, albeit for long-term rehabilitation.
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It is, once again, a ray of hope with Yash Dayal, who, although featuring relatively few times, showed robust control and wicket-taking prowess. He has the ability to move the ball both ways, which can be an X-factor in the challenging conditions of Australia. India has already featured a mix in their squad, which includes seasoned campaigners like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj and young pacers like Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna, making a sturdy combination for some fire-power against Australia.
The BGT is huge for India as they attempt to take home another series from Down Under, capitalizing on their success in 2018-19 and 2020-21. The Perth Test is going to be instrumental in defining the course of the series, with India expecting Dayal and co to step up in the absence of veteran stalwarts such as Khaleel.