With thousands of fans getting a close-in view, India captain Rohit Sharma had two extensive net sessions ahead of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide on Tuesday.
Sharma, who missed the first Test, having hinted at batting in the middle-order to allow Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul remain at the top, did show a lot of resolve while facing the Pink Kookaburra. During the session, Indian team had four nets at the practice arena.
In one such net, Jasiwal and Rahul took turns to bat while Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli were in the second net. It was the third net where Rohit was clubbed with the inimitable Rishabh Pant while the final net was occupied by Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar. While nothing is certain as of now, it could well be the top eight of India’s XI for the second Test against Australia that begins Friday.
Even as India trained for more than four hours in their attempt to get ready for the day-night challenge, the highlight of the day was fans getting a close-in view of their heroes in the nets. Just next to the enclosed nets was a viewing area where fans, thousands of them stood in line, to get a glimpse of their sporting stars. As it did in 2018-19, a clipping of Virat Kohli batting with the sound of his bat did the rounds on social media.
Meanwhile, Rohit faced a lot of side-arm throwdowns from Nuwan Seneviratne along with usual stuff from the right-arm specialist Raghu Raghavendra and Dayanand Garani. The skipper made a conscious effort to leave deliveries on length but whenever anything short was dug in, he would pull effortlessly.
Bengal fast bowling duo of Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar (reserve pacer) looked impressive during the session. While Mukesh got his deliveries to move in the air creating some sort of a challenge for Virat Kohli, Akash did ask probing questions to Gill, who looked comfortable.
While there are a few questions left to be answered on India’s combination for the second game, some of them might get clear when a member of the team/support staff address the media on Wednesday.