Injury scare for Rohit, Akash

India captain Rohit Sharma sustained a blow to his left knee, while Akash Deep hurt his hand at nets but the pacer allayed any injury concerns ahead of the fourth Test against Australia, starting here from December 26.

Both players were struck while facing throwdowns in the outdoor practice arena at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and were seen in some discomfort, presenting the touring party with a double injury scare four days ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

After copping a blow to his left knee, Rohit continued to bat but later received treatment from a physiotherapist. He sat for some time with his leg stretched on a chair, icing the knee, before walking off gingerly. The Indian team will not train on Monday so the skipper might get time to recover.

Meanwhile, the Indian team wasn't exactly happy with the practice pitches provided for the game. While the strip at the MCG is expected to offer bounce, the practice pitches didn't offer much carry, which actually won't be of much help in match situation. Not providing quality practice pitches could well be a move to put Indians in a slight spot of bother.

While there has been no official update on his condition, Akash, who got hit on his hand, said both were routine net injuries.