Contenders for the opening batsman’s role, Lokesh Rahul and Shubman Gill took some batting practice together during a training session on Monday ahead of the third Test against Australia here. After being stripped of the vice-captaincy for a prolonged period of poor performance in the five-day format, Rahul was seen sweating profusely during what was probably the last training session ahead of the match starting on Wednesday. The opinion of people in the cricket world is divided on giving preference to Rahul over the in-form Gill.
Rahul has been able to score runs at a modest average of 33.44 even after playing 47 Tests. Both the batsmen batted for about 30 minutes in two nets side by side under the supervision of head coach Rahul Dravid. The team management has faith in Rahul’s abilities and is giving him extra chances but with each failure the pressure is mounting on the batsman. Gill, on the other hand, has impressed across formats in the current season and his supporters, including former cricketers, feel that there couldn’t be a better time to give him a chance in the playing XI.
While Gill showed aggressive attitude during practice, Rahul focused more on his defence. Rahul either dropped or blocked the first 18 balls and then played shots in the air against the spinners. He then swapped places with Gill and faced Ravichandran Ashwin. During this he batted with a straight bat. Gill was the first player in the team to bat in the nets while the other players were warming up and doing fielding drills. Gill and Rahul also faced throwdowns after spending time at the main net.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli looked in fine touch during the second Test in Delhi but failed to convert good starts into big innings. Both these batsmen, who came out to bat together on the net, adopted an aggressive attitude against the spinners. While Kohli targeted straight boundaries against left-arm spinners, Rohit played shots all around including the pull, sweep and reverse sweep. Ashwin, who contributed with both bat and ball in the series, practiced his sweep shots after bowling. Axar Patel, who impressed with his batting in the first two Tests, faced a throwdown.
