Trisha Ghosal in Sydney
With one more sleep to the Sydney Pink Test, the tension is palpable. Just three days ago, India lost a Test in Melbourne that they were expected to save. Yesterday, adding fuel to the fire, a conversation from the Indian dressing room was leaked. Gautam Gambhir, attending the press conference, stirred the pot further by avoiding a direct answer on whether Rohit Sharma would play tomorrow, stating that the decision would be taken later. Amid all the drama and speculation, Ravindra Jadeja was the first to step out to bat in the nets. He started with throwdowns before Virat Kohli joined the session.
Kohli, who has been struggling with his habit of chasing the sixth-stump deliveries, began his practice session divided into two distinct phases. During the first 24 balls, Kohli 1.0 showed up — tentative and inconsistent. While he confidently left a couple of deliveries, he was bowled attempting an expansive drive and edged another chasing outside the off-stump. But then, Kohli 2.0 emerged, resembling the player with 81 international centuries. His strokes were sublime — cuts, pulls, and drives flowed with effortless class.
Moving to the spinners’ net, Kohli faced Washington Sundar, Jadeja, and Tanush Kotian. He looked in solid touch, confidently stepping out and playing attacking strokes. While Kohli batted, Yashasvi Jaiswal walked in. From the first ball, Jaiswal appeared composed, with every stroke sounding crisp off his bat. Nitish Kumar Reddy, India’s centurion from the previous Test, also impressed with his assured approach.
Nitish had an extended session, but as he was about to finish, throwdown specialist Raghu and Ryan ten Doeschate kept him back for an intense short-ball drill, under the watchful eyes of Gambhir, standing at the umpire’s spot. For 30 minutes, Nitish was peppered with bouncers, occasionally leaving the ball but also executing some solid back-foot shots. Gambhir observed every ball closely without flinching.
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Next, Dhruv Jurel entered the nets. Speculation about whether he or Rishabh Pant would play tomorrow was rife. However, the practice session offered clear indications. While Pant looked composed, middling most deliveries and avoiding extravagant strokes, Jurel struggled. Despite moments of brilliance, his session was inconsistent. Pant, after finishing, spent time chatting with Shubman Gill’s parents, while Jurel seemed visibly uncomfortable.
Rohit, after an extended chat with Jasprit Bumrah and the support staff, padded up. Unfortunately, his touch looked far from reassuring. He struggled to middle the ball and awkwardly handled deliveries bowled at lengths he had been dismissed off in the last Test. His frustration was evident, especially after being bowled once. The ball kept hitting the toe end of his bat and he kept checking his bat to see whether it was broken. He had a short session much like he had before the Melbourne Test.
Among the pacers, Harshit Rana consistently targeted the fourth-stump line, while Prasidh Krishna bowled fiery bouncers. In the spinners’ net, Washington looked the most composed, but Jadeja’s bowling was erratic and lacked control.
This practice session primarily focused on batting, an area that has let India down in this series. With India trailing 1-2, the looming question remains — can the batting line-up rise to the occasion and handle the pressure? Only time will tell.
Also Read: Echoes of the Ganguly saga in Rohit Sharma’s potential axing?
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