Virat Kohli bats during play on Day 3 of the third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane; India captain Rohit Sharma bats during play on Day 3. (PHOTOS: AP)
India got a chance to bat in the nets on fresher pitches on Tuesday, their last day of training. Christmas day is a rest-day for them, just as Monday was. On Sunday, they had trained on old pitches that were used for training ahead of Big Bash games. It wasn’t a surprise or by any deliberate decision by Cricket Australia as the curator had said on Monday how the fresh pitches are usually available for three days before the Test – in this case from Monday to Wednesday. Just that India chose to train during the weekend, and chose to rest on Monday and Wednesday, the days Australia have chosen to train.
Virat Kohli
Of all the pre-game nets he has had so far, this was the day Kohli looked the most secure, confident, and tight with his game. Of course, what happens at nets might not have any reflection in the actual game, but there was a compactness in his game on Tuesday. He had stood outside the crease in Perth nets, retreated to the crease at Adelaide, tried pushing back before pressing forward at Brisbane nets but was often caught on the move. And as he walked back that day at the Gabba from the nets, he banged his bat. On Tuesday, in Melbourne, his game seemed at its best it has been on this tour. He has refined his movement at the crease, stopped his attempts to move furiously forward as he did in the previous game, and was far more steadier. He stood just outside the crease, pressed back a touch, and sort of stayed there, just taking care to press his front leg down the pitch and play the ball. Over the last three net sessions, he has also been leaving the balls outside off stump far more than before.
Asked if he considers telling Kohli, ‘wide ball hai to chod dena yaar’, Rohit Sharma would smile and say, “like you said, he is a modern-day great, and one just leaves these greats alone”.
Scenes from #TeamIndia‘s nets session ahead of the 4th #INDvsAUS Test at Melbourne.
Sriram Veera sends this clip of Virat Kohli batting.
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Rohit Sharma
Not much could be made of his efforts at the MCG nets. Just that he seems to have definitely given up on his earlier efforts to stand with his back leg on the popping crease. He stood in his usual way, one foot behind the crease. But on Sunday, he got hit on the knee as he missed a pull, and had to cut short his nets. On Tuesday – Monday was a rest day for India, he didn’t bat for long and eventually when he did, he batted a bit gingerly.
Rohit Sharma batting at the nets, earlier in the morning today.
Video by Sriram Veera, The Indian Express‘ man on the ground in Melbourne.
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Shubman Gill
He was distinct in his method at the nets, changing his position at the crease almost every ball depending upon who was bowling at the nets. Sometimes, outside the crease, at times on the crease, and in a few instances, inside. The pattern was that if it was a hit-the-deck pacer, he would retreat inside and the slower the bowler, he would come more forward. On all net days, he also trained for the real full deliveries that can cause him issues as he doesn’t quite lean into his drives or move towards the ball that much. For those types of deliveries – these were specifically asked for by him to the throwdown specialists, he would press back and just move his hands to play them, without much foot movement but with an effort to flex his knees. Not the purist way but that’s the Gill way.
On Tuesday, he found himself in a good battle with Jasprit Bumrah at one net and Ravindra Jadeja at the other. For Bumrah he stood on the middle-stump guard, with his bat on off and middle line, and stood with one foot inside the crease. There were of course a few deliveries where he was beaten, but for the main part, he punched and drove pretty neatly. Against Jadeja, he had a rather interesting battle. This was also Jadeja’s best stint at the nets thus far in the crease perhaps. Always on target, and mixing up his deliveries and pace rather well. Nitish kept trying to punch-drive or cut him, and once lost his off stump. Another time, came the one with the arm to trap him ‘lbw’. He also charged to drive and drove crisply.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
On Sunday, Kohli had stopped his own batting in the adjacent net to have a relatively long chat with Jaiswal. Both stood facing each other, separated by the net-mesh, talking earnestly. On Tuesday, apart from his regular stuff, Jaiswal also practised leaving quite a few balls. If anything, that’s the only part that stood out a bit more than the rest of his sessions on the tour. He has been out trying to force the pace a touch too early in his knocks; perhaps this is a reflection of that. He also primarily trained against left-arm throwdown-er and also practiced several walk-down-the-track drives and pushes.
He was at his most enterprising at the Adelaide nets on the day it was thrown open to the crowd. With people thronging not far from him, he was his usual aggressive self at the nets. There was a stunning shot that had Rohit, who was standing at the other end, shake his head and laugh in admiration. It was a ball that was on a good length and kicking up and instinctively, he bent his knees, swatted it up and over on the leg side. At the MCG nets, he has been more circumspect, rather working on his defense, the way the bat comes down and his outside-off game. He has been out twice, edging deliveries angling away from him in the matches. As he can have the tendency to almost walk into a defensive prod, hanging his bat out. Finally, he had had enough of punching, driving, leaving, and charged out to Akash Deep off the final ball he faced in that net. He missed and was bowled, and walked out laughing with Akash.
More than most, he has the trait to stand well inside the crease and try punching even good-length balls at the nets. That seems to be his method, at least while training. On Sunday, he had also done a drill without facing balls; he would stand there and just let his right hand, holding the bat, flow straight. From up to down and forward.
Ravindra Jadeja
He has looked as compact at the nets as he did during his match-saving knock in Brisbane. With no discernible change in his approach, he has looked secure and calm at the nets. On Sunday there were a few meaty straight punches, otherwise as ever he has almost batted within himself, just looking to be compact with his movements. On Tuesday his bowling looked the sharpest it has been on this tour so far.
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