Injury has come to haunt Bengal fast bowler Ishan Porel again as he has been sent back home from Australia after sustaining a hamstring strain during a net session.

“Ishan Porel has a hamstring injury and is already back in India for the past few days. It’s a hamstring injury but the degree of it can only be assessed once he goes to the NCA for assessment,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

With T Natarajan featuring in the main squad, India’s pure net bowling options have been reduced to only one with the 20-year-old Kartik Tyagi helping out the batsmen.

Initially, Porel, Tyagi, Natarajan and Kamlesh Nagarkoti were named as net bowlers for the tour Down Under. However, Nagarkoti opted out even before the team left for Australia due to his frail body needing workload management.

While Porel was part of the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) squad in the IPL 2020, he didn’t get a game to show his skills. But the 22-year-old had done well in Ranji, Duleep Trophy and also had an impressive A tour of New Zealand last season, which prompted the selectors to pick him as one of the four net bowlers.

Earlier, Porel had a lengthy injury break after U-19 World Cup in 2018 but came back well during the last domestic season.

“If it’s a grade 1 tear, there is every chance that Porel will miss the Mushtaq Ali Trophy which is not great news for Bengal. We will now have to wait and see how his rehabilitation goes in Bengaluru. Hope he is not out for too long,” the source added.

(With PTI inputs)