Gill and Pant at the nets: A Serious Display of Intent

In today's age of flexible training schedules, the day before a game is much more laid-back. Many players choose to take the day off, prioritizing rest just as much as practice. It's become rare to see all the main players present on these days, but on a recent Friday, three key players showed up at the India nets for some extra training.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (22), Shubman Gill (25) and Rishabh Pant (27) were all in action, putting the reserve bowlers through their paces and almost running bowling coach Morne Morkel into the ground as well.

“We have fun in such contests. He (Morne Morkel) keeps teasing us that I will bowl like this in my youth, so when we play, we say that the wicket is good to bowl the ball, so show us how you used to bowl,” said Gill.

But fun and games aside. Their decision to turn up shows an intense desire to succeed; to leave nothing to chance. Gill has got off to starts in both his innings — scoring 31 in the first innings and 28 in the second — but he knows he didn’t make it count.

“When you are out there one of the challenges is can you play the game how you want to play irrespective of what’s happening on the other end and I think I faltered in the first innings because of that,” Gill said, “Because what happened at the other end, I kind of took that on me.

“There was a period where I didn’t get to face, maybe I faced one ball in like four overs and then the next ball that I faced I kind of missed a straight ball, a fuller ball (and was lbw). But these are the challenges that you face while playing a Test, you might not get the strike for three or four overs, you might get the strike less or you might face like 18 balls on the trot.”

Pant will be a little angsty as well. He has played some outrageous shots on the tour already and even though he is batting well, he hasn’t really hurt the Aussies. He would like to change that in Brisbane.

While Jaiswal’s century in the first Test helped India get off to a winning start, the Aussies managed to restrict him at Adelaide. He was focused and hungry in the nets and after finishing the batting, he quietly made his way to the wicket where he tried to pick the curator’s brain.

Gabba, of course, brings back great memories for Gill and Pant and that might help too. “Definitely very nostalgic when I came here,” said Gill. “Just walking to the stadium again after 2021 win, felt very nostalgic, and the wicket looks good to be honest.”

Boland out, Hazlewood in

Australia, meanwhile, have dropped Scott Boland to accommodate the returning Josh Hazlewood into the playing 11. A side issue had kept Hazlewood out in Adelaide but he has had two long sessions after the match ended and seems to have pulled up well.

“He’s had no hiccups,” Cummins told reporters on Friday. “He had a really good bowl yesterday, he had another bowl in Adelaide a couple of days previously. Him and the medical team are really confident.”

The Gabba wicket, on the other hand, seems to be less green than it was for the 2022 Test against South Africa and batters on both sides won’t mind that at all.

The bowling groups in both squads are evenly matched and the big batting performances have made the difference so far. Perhaps the old-school extra net session will help.