Shubman Gill made his way out to bat at No.3 for India in the pink-ball practice game against Australia Prime Minister's XI making it clear that the right-handed batter is indeed available for the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, scheduled to begin in Adelaide on Friday, December 6. The 25-year-old Gill walked out to bat after the dismissal of opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal at the Manuka Oval, Canberra.
Gill made his way to the middle in the 17th over of the 46-overs-per-side contest. As soon as Jaiswal was dismissed by Charlie Anderson, the right-handed batter made his presence felt. Gill did not take the field when India opted to bowl first, however, he did eventually come out to have a knock in the middle.
Shubman Gill eventually played a knock of 50 runs before retiring hurt. In the end, India ended up winning the contest against the Prime Minister's XI quite easily.
This is now a clear indication that Gill has recovered from the injury he sustained during the match simulation against India A at WACA, Perth. He suffered a fractured thumb while fielding in the slips and as a result, he ended up missing the series opener against Australia, which India eventually won by 295 runs.
Now that Gill is fit, he is expected to play the Adelaide Test and he will most likely replace Devdutt Padikkal to slot back at No.3 slot. Before the practice match, Gill while speaking to BCCI.TV said, "I was just trying to get a feel, to be honest, see how the injury is reacting if there was any kind of soreness. But it actually went much better than what I and Kamlesh bhai (physio) expected. I am very happy with that”.
{{/usCountry}}Now that Gill is fit, he is expected to play the Adelaide Test and he will most likely replace Devdutt Padikkal to slot back at No.3 slot. Before the practice match, Gill while speaking to BCCI.TV said, "I was just trying to get a feel, to be honest, see how the injury is reacting if there was any kind of soreness. But it actually went much better than what I and Kamlesh bhai (physio) expected. I am very happy with that”.
{{/usCountry}}The youngster who announced his arrival on the world stage during the Gabba Test against Australia in 2020-21, will now be hoping to make it count in the ongoing series and wear out the Australia pace lineup.
Rohit Sharma bats at No.4
India captain Rohit Sharma who missed the series opener against Australia after welcoming his second child with wife Ritika Sajdeh, demoted himself down the order in the pink-ball practice match against Prime Minister's XI.
Rohit walked out to bat at No.4 after KL Rahul retired hurt. For India, it was Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rahul who came out to open the innings.
Speaking about the practice game between India and the Prime Minister's XI, Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first. Both teams decided to play an one-day match after Day 1 got abandoned due to rain on Saturday.
Rain played spoilsport on Day 2 and as a result, the match was further curtailed to 46-overs-per-side. Prime Minister's XI then posted 240 runs on the board, owing to a 107-run knock by Sam Konstas.
For India, Harshit Rana returned with four wickets while Akash Deep took two scalps.
The visitors will now aim to extend their lead to 2-0 when they take the field against Australia in a pink-ball Test in Adelaide.