KL Rahul set to miss second Test with hand injury; Abhimanyu Easwaran could debut

KL Rahul could miss the second Test against Bangladesh, starting Thursday (December 22) in Mirpur after receiving a blow in his hand during a net session prior to the final encounter of the two-match series that India lead 1-0. 

Batting coach Vikram Rathour confirmed the development during a pre-match press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday. Rathour said the injury wasn't too serious but didn't specify if the stand-in captain will be good to take the field or not. 

The injury took place when Rathour was busy giving throwdowns to the Indian right-hander towards the end of the net session. ESPNcricinfo reported, KL Rahul was seen "rubbing the injured area" and was duly attended by the medical staff. 

"It doesn't [look serious]. He seems to be fine. Hopefully he'll be okay. The doctors are looking at it, but hopefully he'll be okay," said Rathour during the presser on the eve of the Test match. 

KL Rahul an injury concern for India 

KL Rahul led India in the first Test of the series in Chattogram after being positioned at the helm in replacement of the injured Rohit Sharma. The vice-captain would be looking to add another cap to his feather on the leadership front with a series win in Bangladesh but an injury threatens to rain on his parade. 

The player made scores of 22 and 23 in the first Test. While Rahul failed to kick on and play a substantial knock in either innings, he did look good enough to get one during his time in the middle before being dismissed out of the blue. 

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The Chattogram Test was Rahul's comeback game in the format since the trip to South Africa earlier in the year in what has been a frustrating period for the player with repeated injuries. 

If Rahul fails to recover from the injured hand for the Dhaka Test, India will have longstanding No.3 Cheteshwar Pujara captaining the side after being appointed deputy for the assignment amidst Rohit's injury absence. 

India also have Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran part of their squad as the backup opener to potentially replace Rahul at the top of the order. He was selected on the back of an outstanding 'A' series in Bangladesh in the build-up to the Tests, scoring consecutive tons in the four-day matches.