Mayank Agarwal ruled out of first Test against England

India's opening batsman Mayank Agarwal has been ruled out of the first Test against England after being hit on the back of his head by a short delivery from Mohammed Siraj during a training session, the BCCI announced on Monday (August 2).

The 30-year-old batter from Karnataka took his eyes off a short ball and took a blow on his helmet. He was in some discomfort after taking off the helmet as he sat on the ground with physio Nitin Patel attending him. He was then seen pressing the back of his head while leaving the nets escorted by Patel.

"The BCCI Medical Team assessed him, and a concussion test was conducted. He has shown signs of concussion and is ruled out of the opening Test against England. The 30-year-old is stable and will remain under close medical observation," the press release stated.

KL Rahul, who has mostly opened in Test matches but prefers a middle-order slot these days, could now be asked to partner Rohit Sharma. The other option is Bengal's Abhimanyu Easwaran. If not, India also have the option of promoting Hanuma Vihari up the order.

Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan have already been ruled out of the series because of their respective injuries and Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav were added as replacements.

The first of five Tests will be played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham from Wednesday (August 4).

(With inputs from PTI)