Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Indian team looks to regroup with pep talk from Kohli

He used to be the cynosure of all eyes at training sessions during his captaincy days and Virat Kohli was once again the centre of attention as he addressed his teammates here on Thursday.

After the demoralising 10-wicket defeat in the Adelaide Day/Night game, the visitors needed a bit of inspiration going into the crucial third Test of the series, and the youngsters in the side couldn’t have got a better mentor than ‘King’ Kohli himself to guide them with his words of wisdom.

A team huddle before the start of training sessions has been a constant feature for years now and Kohli used to do a lot of talking during his days in charge.

He did take a back seat once he left captaincy but with skipper Rohit Sharma also under immense pressure after four straight defeats, the senior-most player (in terms of Test debut) had to take the initiative ahead of the match starting here on Saturday.

With vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah by his side, Kohli was seen speaking animatedly to the group and everyone, including Rohit, listened to him with rapt attention.

Rohit to open?

Unlike before the pink-ball Test, Rohit looked in far better shape during his net session at the Gabba but question marks remain over whether he would be back to opening the innings or stay put at No. 6, which isn’t his preferred slot.

On the day, while KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal once again faced the new ball at the nets, Rohit took on a slightly older Kookaburra at the beginning. Having faced that for some time, he did change nets with Rahul and also played a brand new red cherry for a while.

The Gabba pitch has a decent grass cover and has always been one of the most traditional Australian wickets with both seam and bounce on offer. Rohit’s susceptibility has been against the moving deliveries more than bounce, and hence, it would be interesting to see if he takes on the challenge head on.

After his session, Rohit and head coach Gautam Gambhir were immersed in a lengthy chat and from a distance, it looked like they were discussing technique. Gambhir was seen shaping up for some shadow drives, with Rohit watching him intently.

Akash for Harshit?

Akash Deep is believed to be the most consistent bowler in the Indian net session but that is no indicator that he will replace the young Harshit Rana, who was taken to task by Travis Head during the second Test in Adelaide.

After four wickets on his Test debut in Perth, Harshit was smashed for 86 in 16 overs but skipper Rohit came firmly to the youngster’s defence.

The burly Harshit can bowl the heavy ball and Gabba, just like the Optus Stadium track, could suit his style of bowling although he has been losing steam in subsequent spells after the opening one.

Akash at the other hand troubled Jaiswal, getting the outside edge twice. He also got a pat on the back from the skipper.

Akash has more experience of bowling at the First-Class level but one certainly knows that Gambhir is a man of strong convictions and is also a firm believer in Harshit’s talent.