Big headache for Rohit Sharma, Dravid ahead of WTC final as star India pacer suffers shoulder injury during IPL 2023

Indian cricket team on Monday was handed a major blow ahead of the impending World Test Championship next month as a star pacer incurred an shoulder injury during the ongoing IPL 2023.

India are already heading into the big final against Australia at The Oval without the services of Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah.

Jaydev Unadkat of the Lucknow Super Giants incurred a shoulder injury on Sunday, with IPL broadcasters revealing the news through a footage from LSG’s practice session at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow for the IPL 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The video showed that Unadkat tripped on his bowling arm while practising at the nets thus injuring his shoulder.

Unadkat was immediately aided with ice pack by the team physio although LSG are yet to bring out an official statement giving an update on the injury and the extent of it.

If Unadkat gets ruled out of the WTC final, it will surely hurt India’s plan given that another fast bowler Umesh Yadav also has an injury concern. He had missed Kolkata Knight Riders’ last game owing to a niggle. The remaining fast bowling unit remains – Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.

Meanwhile, according to a report, India have two pacers in their five-member stand-by list for the WTC final which includes Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar and hence one of them could be slotted in.

This is the second time India will be aiming for the WTC trophy. In 2021, in the inaugural edition of the tournament, India had lost to New Zealand in the final at Lord’s by eight wickets. Australia, meanwhile, reached their maiden final in WTC in the 2021/2023 cycle.