Rohit Sharma was hit on the left thumb while facing some throwdowns on the eve of the World Test Championship final against Australia, which begins at The Oval on Wednesday, June 7. India had an optional training session on Tuesday, attended by Rohit, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav and KS Bharat, in contention for the wicketkeeper’s spot in the big game.
Bharat had enjoyed a fairly long net by the time Rohit asked Raghavendra, or Raghu as the team call him, to give him some throwdowns. One of those balls leapt off a length and struck him a painful blow on the left hand. Rohit immediately came out of the net, and Kamlesh Jain, the team physio, was seen taping the joint as a precaution.
After a ten-minute gap, Rohit put his gloves back on a though readying for another bat, but eventually decided against it. On his way back to the dressing room, he had a chat with Rahul Dravid, India’s coach, and also a quick word with Shiv Sunder Das, the interim chairman of the selection panel.
As he went up the dressing-room steps, Rohit offered no comments to the watching media, other than to say: “We’ll see.”