Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Time for a little pink-ball rehearsal

Canberra: Frequent drizzles and overcast conditions did little to dampen the Indian team's spirit as the entire contingent went through a rigorous practice session here at the Manuka Oval, a throwback to the olden times but one that's struggling to resist concrete modernisation.

The wooden pickets stand uncomfortably with swanky dugouts and stands while the grass beds are overshadowed by hospitality boxes. It's a carefully manicured structure, nonetheless, just as the town, which is also Australia's political seat of power. 

It's at this venue India will play a two-day pink ball match from Saturday as they look to cover some bases ahead of the second Test, which will be a day/night affair, in Adelaide. The practice match, which faces rain threat on both days, was a late addition to the five-Test schedule.   

Having got their Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign to a cracking start in Perth, India received booster shot with Shubman Gill showing great signs of progress from his left-thumb injury. 

The stylish right-hander, who demanded and made his own the No. 3 slot in the longer format, had to miss the lung opener after sustaining the injury during a fielding practice. In his absence, Devdutt Padikkal did a decent job at one-drop but if the Punjab batter is declared fit for the Adelaide Test, he is sure to take back his place. 

Friday's practice session gave a good account of Gill's progress with the 24-year-old being put through a series of batting regimens. For about 10-15 minutes, he faced under-arm lobs from assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, perhaps to test the comfort level upon impact. He then sent down military-medium throwdowns before gradually increasing the pace. Once he was put through the throwdown sets, Gill briefly batted against pacers Yash Dayal and Akash Deep, all along looking in absolute control and comfort.

He defended well, drove beautifully and flicked a few balls that gave a fair indication that he was pain-free or the pain was within the threshold limits.   

A clearer idea about Gill's availability for the second Test in Adelaide will emerge if he plays India's two-day day-night practice game against Prime Minister's XI here at the Manuka Oval from Saturday.     

"We are still waiting and our physios will evaluate and then tell us. We have no information as of now about his status," said assistant coach Abhishek Nayar at the end of the practice session when asked about Gill's progress. "Looking at his batting, he looked very comfortable and looks like he can bat but he is still batting indoors and after that only there would be an assessment to know whether he would play or not."

The practice match will also provide skipper Rohit Sharma some ideal game-time ahead of the pink-ball Test. Rohit missed the first Test for the birth of his second child, and in his absence, his deputy Jasprit Bumrah led the team to a famous win. The practice game, which doesn't have a first-class status and hence allows as many bowlers and batters to be utilised, will also give a sense about who will likely open in the second Test after KL Rahul's impressive outings in the opener.

There is a school of thought that is batting for Rahul to open the innings or to come at No. 3 (in case Gill remains unavailable).   

Australia Test pacer Scot Boland will feature in the game and that should give a good workout for the Indian batters against a bowler known for his ability to generate lateral movement. 

The teams (from): Prime Minister’s XI: Jack Edwards (captain), Charlie Anderson, Mahli Beardman, Scott Boland, Jack Clayton, Aidan O’Connor, Ollie Davies, Jayden Goodwin, Sam Harper, Hanno Jacobs, Sam Konstas, Lloyd Pope, Matt Renshaw and Jem Ryan.

India: Rohit Sharma (captain) Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, K.L. Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Nitish Reddy, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana.

Play starts at 9.10 a.m., IST.