Update on Aaron Finch's finger injury

Aaron Finch finger injury: X-rays revealed no great cause of concerns but importantly, it is still not clear whether he will be able to take any further part in the ongoing second Test match.

In a major relief for Australia, opener Aaron Finch was cleared of any serious injury on his right index finger after being hit by a nasty Mohammed Shami short-pitched delivery on Day 3 of the second India-Australia Test match at Perth.

Finch had walked off the field suspecting a fracture for 25 after his index finger jammed between the ball and handle in the 13th over of Australia’s second innings. X-rays, however, revealed no great cause of concerns but importantly, it is still not clear whether he will be able to take any further part in the ongoing second Test match.

"I think his finger is still numb. I think they put some stuff in it, but we'll see how it goes overnight," Starc told Fox Sports. "There's a bit of swelling there and he will, I guess, spend the night with the doctors as well and test it out in the morning to see if he can keep batting."

Finch’s availability can be a crucial factor in the Test match. Australia are currently 175 runs ahead of India with six wickets in hand. The right-hander had scored a fifty in the first innings and looked decent even in the second innings before he was forced to go off after scoring 25.

"I think that's the third time he's been hit on it in the last four weeks. So not ideal. Unfortunately, I was one of those ones that got him. Hopefully, it goes okay overnight and he can keep batting tomorrow at some point," Starc added.

Finch’s injury was believed to be serious as he was hit on the ‘same finger’ that suffered blows from Mitchell Starc’s bowling during a practice session in the lead up to the Test series.

Finch was first hit on the right index finger during training for the first ODI of the season, also in Perth against South Africa last month and then he was hit on the same are before the first Test match at Adelaide.

Finch was not the only batsman to suffer a blow during third day's play. The up and down nature of the Perth pitch was used to good effect by the Indian pacers, which spelt trouble for the Australian batters. Finch's opening partner Marcus Harris was hit on the head by a Bumrah bouncer. Usman Khawaja and Tim Paine too had their fair share of body blows in their quest to deny India breakthroughs.