Colombo: Shubman Gill sustains two blows to hand during training
India Test captain Shubman Gill experienced an injury scare during a training session in Colombo, raising concerns regarding his fitness in advance of the team’s World Test Championship campaign in Sri Lanka. Gill received two blows to his right hand during the session, which took place a day before India’s three-day warm-up match against a Sri Lanka XI.
The first incident occurred in the nets when a delivery from pacer Gurnoor Brar struck Gill on his right thumb. The 26-year-old immediately sought assistance from the team physio, who then strapped his thumb. After this, Gill returned to batting and later practiced against spinners as part of his preparations.
Later in the session, during a slip-catching drill, Gill was struck again on the same hand after failing to cleanly gather a sharp chance. He briefly stepped away to apply an ice pack. Initial medical assessments, however, indicated that there was no fracture or serious damage. Gill subsequently completed the remainder of the training session without significant discomfort.
Training session details
The India team conducted a three-hour practice session at Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) for the second consecutive day. The primary focus of this session, similar to the first day, was on countering spin bowling. The sequence of practice was adjusted, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal starting against spin rather than pace.
Kuldeep Yadav bowled to both Rahul and Jaiswal in the same net, alongside Ravindra Jadeja, Saransh Jain, and Manav Suthar. Kuldeep managed to beat Jaiswal on a couple of occasions, while Saransh also appeared threatening against the left-hander. Rahul batted fluently against the spinners, utilizing the depth of the crease for back-foot play. He frequently used the square cut and back-foot punch against spin. Suthar deceived Rahul in the air once, and Saransh also beat him shortly after.
Both Indian openers batted for approximately 40 minutes against spin before moving on to throwdowns. Jaiswal then had a separate session with the team’s throwdown specialists, who were instructed to bowl short deliveries. Gill initially batted against fast bowlers for about 30-40 minutes before transitioning to face the spinners alongside Devdutt Padikkal. Compared to the previous day, Gill focused on his defence rather than attempting aerial shots. Padikkal’s footwork also showed improvement from the first day’s session.
The training session also saw other players in action. Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant began with throwdowns before facing the spinners. Both wicketkeeper-batters were aggressive against the net bowlers, particularly Pant, who hit several powerful shots straight down the ground. Pant also appeared to be in a jovial mood, sharing laughs with bowling coach Morne Morkel. Jurel had the longest batting session among all batters, continuing against local net bowlers after finishing with the main bowlers.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir was actively involved, regularly conversing with players between sessions and sharing smiles with Jadeja. At the conclusion of the practice session, Rahul was observed working on his sweep shots in the rough, with Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak assisting him with throwdowns. Fielding coach Shubhadeep Ghosh led close-in fielding drills, with Gill, Rahul, Padikkal, and Jaiswal all participating.
Importance of Gill’s fitness
Gill’s fitness is considered crucial as India prepares for their 2025-27 World Test Championship campaign in Sri Lanka. The team aims to start the new cycle with a victory. The 26-year-old arrives in Sri Lanka in strong form, having accumulated 1,109 runs, including six centuries, in his last 10 Tests. As this will be his first red-ball outing in Sri Lanka, the warm-up fixture is expected to be vital for him to adapt to the local conditions before the opening Test on August 15.
Source: m.rediff.com
