India's Akash Deep set to miss the 5th Test Match in Sydney, suffers am injury setback

Team India have been handed a major setback as Akash Deep is suffering back pain issues is likely to miss the 5th Test-Match in Sydney.

The Indian Men's National Cricket Team is set to suffer a major setback as it prepares to take on Fierce-Rivals Australia in the 5th & final Test-Match of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Fresh Reports are emerging that the Men in Blue may lose the services of fast bowler Akash Deep for the crucial Do-or-Die Sydney Test-Match. There are also reports that have emerged recently which have suggested that the Indian team management are considering the place of wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant in the team. 

28-year-old Akash Deep has been dealt a major setback with a possible back injury. According to the news report of the Indian Express, the players is suffering a lot of pain in his back and will most likely miss out on selection from the Sydney Test-Match. On the other hand, some news reports suggest that the Team management is considering replacing Pant with Dhruv Jurel in Sydney. 

The absence of both players at such a crucial time is surely going to prove to be a major setback for the Indian team. Akash is a player who has performed well with both ball & bat and this was pretty evident in the Melbourne Test-Match, where he saved the Rohit Sharma-led outfit from the follow-on threat by getting involved in a crucial 47 run partnership for the final wicket with fellow pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

Who will be the replacement of Akash Deep? 

The injury to the 28-year-old seamer has halted the Rohit Sharma-led outfit's preparations for the 5th Test-Match in Sydney. The two time WTC Runner's-up now will be forced to rethink and rework their strategies and they also have to take care of vice captain Jasprit Bumrah's workload. 

With Akash Deep likely to sit out of the 5th Test-Match, Harshit Rana is likely to be given yet another opportunity to prove himself in Sydney and he will be looking to perform at his best and help the Indian Team retain the precious BGT Trophy. 

The Indian Think Tank might also consider the possibility of bringing in Prasidh Krishna into the playing 11 in place of Jadeja Or Sundar, but since the surface of the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is known to provide assistance to the spin bowlers, the Men in Blue will likely go ahead with two spinners. Also Jadeja and Sundar are handy batters so the Indian think tank might no want to hamper their batting at the expense of bringing in an extra bowler.

Do Read: 5 Reasons why Team India lost the Melbourne Test match versus Australia