After a recent horror run with the bat in the first innings of Test matches over the past three months, India will be keen to arrest the trend when they take on Australia in the third of the five-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Brisbane on Saturday.
Returning from a left thumb injury, Shubman Gill top-scored with 50 as India beat Prime Minister's XI by six wickets in the 50-over pink-ball warm-up game here at the Manuka Oval on Sunday.
India’s batting coach Abhishek Nayar, who kept a close eye on Gill’s return to the nets with the Indian team in Canberra, believes the batter looks ‘comfortable’ to return back in action.
While fielding in the slips, Gill took a blow to his thumb, leaving the field immediately and not returning for the remainder of the intra-squad match-simulation session.
A week before the opening Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth, India suffered a setback after Shubman Gill suffered a left thumb injury while taking a catch on the second day of India’s intra-squad training match at the WACA.
The day was special for English skipper Ben Stokes, who claimed the wicket of Rohit with his first delivery of the series, having not bowled competitively since the second Test of last year’s Ashes. A sharply seaming ball that hit Rohit’s off stump as he resumed his innings after the lunch break brought some relief to the English camp as it ended a sedate 171-run stand for the second wicket between Sharma and Gill.
Ahead of the Vizag Test, there was a conversation around Gill that he could be sent to domestic cricket to work on his game with a week’s time between the second and the third Test, starting February 15 in Rajkot.
The 24-year-old's absence on the field is bit of a blow for India to lose their best slip catcher for rest of the innings. Gill grabbed four catches in England’s first innings.
"He is grinding it out at the Ranji Trophy and is always on the radar," said Shastri during the commentary.
In 2023, the 24-year-old top-order hitter had a breakout year and established himself as an important member of the Indian cricket squad across formats.
