India in Perth: Virat Kohli bats in practice match amid fresh injury concern for KL Rahul

Virat Kohli has shrugged off any potential fitness concerns after taking to the crease in an India practice match in Perth, but the tourists are facing a fresh injury worry after fellow batter KL Rahul copped a blow to the hand. There were reports on Thursday that Kohli had undergone scans in WA, just a day after his first training session on tour. But the superstar veteran appeared fine as he strode out to the middle at the WACA Ground on Friday morning to bat for an Indian best XI in their match simulation with India A. Rahul, who is in the frame to open the batting in the West Test against Australia starting next Friday, had to be taken from the field after being struck on the hand. The 32-year-old was left grimacing and shaking his hand after Prasidh Krishna got one to rear into his bottom hand. He briefly considered continuing at the crease before calling for medical attention and leaving the field. Rahul is a potential replacement at the top of the order for Rohit Sharma, who is yet to join his teammates on tour as he awaits the birth of his child in India. Kohli struck three crisp cover drive boundaries before his stay in the middle was cut short after he edged Mukesh Kumar to second slip on 15. Kohli had a second hit for around an hour after a Tea break. To cap a challenging start for India’s top order in the tour match, Rishabh Pant needed a moment to recover after copping a ball to the groin region from Mukesh. The Indian top order were given two cracks throughout the first day of their match sim, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill adapting best to the bouncy WACA conditions with their extra height. Jaiswal’s stay was short and sweet the first time around, but he brought an attacking mentality to his second chance, crashing boundaries through the off side before taking a liking to Washington Sundar’s off-spin, smacking the ball more than halfway up the jumbo sight screen on the full. Gill wasn’t nearly as free, but gave his defence a good workout on a typical, if not very spicy, Perth wicket. Rishabh Pant started with an authoritative flair, but as the bowlers shortened their length, he went into his shell before being bowled by Nitish Kumar Reddy, who produced good pace. Reserve keeper Dhruv Jurel had a short stay at the crease before nicking off. Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja looked good against Sundar and Tanush Kotian but quickly fell to the pace as a new ball was grabbed to welcome the top order back in. Sarfaraz Khan spent the day at second slip with the India A boys after copping a blow to the elbow in the nets on Thursday, but will likely get a chance at closed sessions on Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, India great Ravi Shastri declared Kohli “is back in his territory”, ready to reign supreme against Australia and prove his critics wrong. For so long the king of Indian cricket, Kohli will enter the Border-Gavaskar Trophy under the spotlight after averaging only 22.72 across six Tests this year. Kohli’s form has also dominated pre-series jousting, with India coach Gautam Gambhir taking exception to Ricky Ponting highlighting the megastar’s lack of big scores. The 36-year-old has scored only two Test centuries in his last 60 Test innings, averaging 31.69 during that time. But one of those tons did come against Australia last year, while Kohli’s average of 54.08 in Australia is the fifth highest of any touring player in history with 25 or more innings in the country. “Well, the king is back in his territory,” Shastri said on the ICC Review show. “That’s all I will tell (the doubters). When you’ve earned that title after your exploits in Australia, it will be on your (opponent’s) mind when you go out to bat.” Shastri coached India to their maiden two successes in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21, before stepping down from the role. And he said the key for Kohli was not letting emotion take over. “Your juices are flowing, you’re charged up. It’s again a case with Virat. You want to see calmness,” he said. “At times you are overeager to get out there and throw the first punch.“But I think that calmness in the first half an hour where he gets out to bat, or in the first three innings of the series, will be extremely important.” Shastri’s comments come after Ponting also backed Kohli to return to form in Australia, after being critical of his lead-in form. The former Indian captain made scores of 0, 70, 1, 17, 4 and 1 in India’s first ever 3-0 loss at home to New Zealand over the past month. “(His record) doesn’t seem right to me. That’s a concern,” Ponting said. “There wouldn’t be anyone else playing international cricket as a top-order batsman who has only scored two Test match hundreds in five years. “But you don’t ever question the greats of the game, and there is no doubt he is a great of the game. I know he loves playing against Australia and his record here is very good. If there is a time for him to turn it around it would be this series.”