After underwhelming white-ball series against Australia, India skipper Shubman undergoes intense net session to rediscover rhythm ahead of first Test vs South Africa
India captain Shubman Gill during a training session ahead of the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata on Tuesday. Pic/PTI
Transitioning from shorter formats to the rigours of red-ball cricket takes time, and India captain Shubman Gill spent close to an hour-and-a-half at the nets, fine-tuning his technique ahead of the opening Test against South Africa, starting here on Friday.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having secured a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month in challenging conditions.
Gill, who struck a fifty and an unbeaten century in the two home Tests against the West Indies last month, batted with determination and looked keen to regain his rhythm after a lean white-ball run which included just one fifty across eight ODI and T20I innings against Australia.
Yashasvi Jaiswal during training at Eden Gardens on Tuesday
Long chat with Gambhir
Before the net session, head coach Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak were seen having a long chat with him, possibly discussing his approach.
Gill later joined his teammates for slip-fielding drills before padding up alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal for an intense net session. Starting with spin, he faced Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, playing mostly along the ground, unfurling the odd sweep now and then. He then faced medium-pacer Nitish Kumar Reddy, who bowled in tandem with a few local club bowlers as they tested him with seam movement. A support staff member then used a sidearm to deliver throwdowns from an elevated platform, giving Gill some practice against extra bounce.
Jaiswal vs Morkel
Fresh from scores of 67 and 156 for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy, Jaiswal also had a long batting stint, facing bowling coach Morne Morkel and taking throwdowns. He looked in fluent touch. Another batter to spend significant time at the nets was Sai Sudharsan, who managed just 84 runs in two unofficial Tests for India A against South Africa ‘A’. The team management continues to back him at No. 3, though he is yet to make it his own, with only a 61 against England in Manchester and 87 versus West Indies at home to show so far in Tests.
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