Gill returns to nets from thumb injury
Shubman Gill returned to the India nets on Friday, showing enough signs of a full recovery from a thumb injury that ruled him out of the series opener against Australia in Perth.
The top-order batter was seen facing Yash Dayal and Akash Deep in the nets ahead of the pink-ball warm-up game against Australian PM’s XI starting Saturday.
“I was just trying to get a feel to be honest, see how the injury is reacting, if any kind of soreness is there but it went much better than what I and Kamlesh Jain (physiotherapist) expected. Very happy with that,” Gill said.
Gill was naturally disappointed about getting injured ahead of the first Test but India’s special performance put him back in a positive frame of mind.
“Any ball when it hits the middle of the bat, the feeling that you get, that is the feeling I play for. When I got to know about my injury, the first couple of days I was quite low and disappointed. Perth is the only venue we did not play last time around (2020-21). It is such an iconic venue. But the way we played, I was very happy,” he said.
In Gill’s absence, Devdutt Padikkal came at No. 3 but could not deliver. However, it is not a given that Gill will return to his usual batting position as KL Rahul excelled as an opener in Perth in skipper Rohit Sharma’s absence.
While Rohit is expected to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul could come in at No. 3 pushing Gill to No. 5.
India would aim to figure out their batting combination for next week’s Day-Night Test in Adelaide in the two-day tour game.
India have played four Day-Night Tests thus far with their only loss coming at Adelaide four years ago when they were bowled out for 36 before making a winning comeback in the four-match Test series.
The pink ball does a lot more compared to the red cherry, especially in the twilight period. Considering it is not a First-Class game, the majority of the Indian batters would like to get a feel of the ball in the middle. As it is only a two-day game, India would be hoping to get a lot more time with the bat than the ball.
Bumrah the complete package: Smith
Star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s unorthodox bowling action and exceptional skillset make him a “complete package,” according to Australia’s premier batter Steve Smith. “From the start of his run-up, it’s just all awkward,” Smith said. “The way he runs in is different to pretty much anyone else, then the last bit of his action is different. I’ve faced him a reasonable amount now, and each time you face him it takes a few balls just to get the rhythm of it in a way. He releases the ball closer to you than any other bowler. So maybe it rushes you a bit more than you think,” said the 35-year-old. “Put that together with his skillset — he swings it both ways, can nip it off the seam, reverse it, got a good slower ball and a good bouncer — he’s the complete package as a bowler.”
