Subhayan Chakraborty in Brisbane
Where’s the aggression? Where’s the intensity? Where’s the unity? Why is the players’ body language so low? These were among the questions Indian fans asked after India’s crushing 10-wicket defeat in Adelaide, which allowed Australia to level the series at 1-1. On Thursday, after completing the warm-up drills, the Indian players and the coaching staff gathered for a team huddle. Notably, the huddle was not addressed by either Gautam Gambhir or Rohit Sharma, but by Virat Kohli.
The former Indian captain, known for his passionate antics on the field, looked animated as he addressed the side with plenty of hand gestures. One could sense that the team management had given Kohli the responsibility to lift the team, as he used to when he was leading a few years back. Australian players were in the faces of Indian players when they dominated play in Adelaide, and the visitors would want to match fire with fire. Who better than Kohli to lead the charge?
Following Kohli’s pep talk and a round of fielding drills, the Indian players headed towards the outdoor nets. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal were the first to start batting with simple throwdowns but were soon joined by Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep with the new ball. Jaiswal looked a bit shaky initially as he was beaten multiple times by the pace trio.
Rohit’s twin stint at the nets
Shubman Gill and Kohli soon entered the other nets, starting with some gentle throwdowns before Rohit, fully padded up, joined them. By now, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Mukesh Kumar, and Yash Dayal were operating with the semi-new ball in full force. As Rohit and Kohli interchanged at the same nets a couple of times, playing six to seven balls in each round, Rahul signalled for Rohit to take his place in the first net to face the new ball. With Rohit’s batting position still not settled, it was interesting to see the captain face the new ball. This was perhaps his best net session since arriving in Australia, with Rohit looking much more focussed, compact, and determined to grind it out. Yes, there were a few edges and misses here and there, but defensively, he looked more assured. He left the ball well and played a couple of trademark pull strokes and some well-timed straight bat shots, including a few sumptuous cover drives. After a breather, Rohit yet again entered the nets to have a bat for another 30 minutes, majorly taking sharp throwdowns. With the series level at 1-1, India would want Rohit firing on all cylinders with the bat.
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Kohli, with the bat, was top-notch. He was at his intense best as he kept speaking to himself, calling for runs, and nodding in agreement when he played a good stroke. He was quick to check on the lengths whenever he was beaten. Kohli mostly faced the semi-new ball. Interestingly, the Gabba is the only Test venue in Australia where Kohli hasn’t recorded a century.
Rahul, who could move back to No. 6 if Rohit decides to open, was at ease against both new and semi-new balls. His backfoot game has been extremely impressive in the ongoing series, and some of his cuts and slashes attracted praise from Ryan Ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel.
Sundar or Jadeja?
There’s also a major debate on who could be India’s sole spinner at the Gabba. Ravichandran Ashwin wasn’t as active, bowling less than usual but fine-tuning his batting. There was a specific session with Gambhir as well, with the Indian head coach giving some throwdowns to the veteran spinner. Ravindra Jadeja, who is yet to play in the series, was once again very active. Jadeja bowled for around 30 minutes and also batted for a considerable amount of time. The same went for Washington Sundar. With a green mamba pitch being prepared in Brisbane, the role of the sole spinner would be to hold one end up when the main pacers are given a break, and in that case, Jadeja and Sundar would be better options, providing India with better batting depth.
Akash or Rana?
Akash was yet again impressive with the ball, switching between the new and semi-new balls on the instructions of bowling coach Morkel. Rohit even made a point to pat him on the back following an impressive spell against the Indian captain. Akash has been mighty impressive at the nets, but the team management has preferred Rana in the last two games. Rana, who had a memorable Test debut in Perth, was handed a reality check by the Aussies in Adelaide. However, given the Gambhir-led team management’s brief history of backing players, it would be interesting to see if they decide to rest Rana at the Gabba, where his hit-the-deck ability could be more than handy for the visitors.
Hazlewood’s secret training
Josh Hazlewood has taken a significant step towards returning to the Australian playing XI. Just two days before the match, he completed a crucial off-site training session.
Following Mitch Marsh’s announcement that he has recovered from his back injury and is ready to bowl freely in Brisbane, Hazlewood also focused on his own recovery from a side strain. After participating in fielding and batting exercises at the Gabba, Hazlewood, along with Mitchell Starc and bowling coach Dan Vettori, relocated to Allan Border Field.
There, Hazlewood bowled to Josh Inglis for 50 minutes without any apparent discomfort, taking advantage of the extended run-up space unavailable at the Gabba. This session was closely monitored by Vettori, as both Hazlewood and Starc need more than the 28-metre run-up available at the Gabba’s nets. He is likely to replace Scott Boland in the XI.
Meanwhile, Marsh confirmed his readiness to bowl on the opening day of the Test, having overcome doubts about his fitness after experiencing back soreness following the first Test defeat. Marsh was also seen bowling at the Australian nets extensively on Thursday.
India will train at the Gabba on the eve of the third Test from 2 pm local time.
Also Read: Welcome to fiery Gabba | Australia vs India