Uncapped opener could replace struggling Shaw in Boxing Day Test; young batsman pleases head coach Ravi Shastri in preparatory nets
India's Shubman Gill bats in the nets during a training session at the Adelaide Oval. Pic/Getty Images
India's last practice session before the second Test [they are not training today] finished with a fitness test for Ravindra Jadeja. Team India's physio Nitin Patel and the conditioning coach Nick Webb asked Jadeja to sprint twos and threes down the pitch and monitored the timing. Jadeja didn't seem hampered by the hamstring injury and within a couple of runs, all three members left the practice nets quietly satisfied.
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Jadeja will come into the playing XI and could bat as high as No. 6. Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane is a fan of having a fifth bowling option and Jadeja's batting has been on the rise in the last couple of years.
Rahane will remain at No. 5, meaning a promotion is on the cards for Hanuma Vihari. He batted at No. 4 in both the tour games and it is learnt that the team management wants the Andhra batsman to be given an opportunity at the top of the order.
Prithvi Shaw is expected to be axed with Shubman Gill to debut. As Gill walked out of the nets, Ravi Shastri patted him on the back and uttered a few positive words into his ear. Gill has predominantly batted at No. 3 in first-class cricket, but his healthy average of 68.78 is an indicator of his talent.
Mohammed Siraj is also set to debut, forming a pace trio alongside Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah. Navdeep Saini was also an option but the Haryana pacer is still trying to recapture his best form after a couple of poor outings in the ODI series.
The pitch at the MCG will have some assistance for the bowlers on the opening day, but is expected to lose its pace and bounce as the Test progresses. The slowness of the track will also go in India's favour, but it could be a hard toil for the visiting bowlers to take 20 wickets. Jadeja's inclusion will provide India a fifth bowling option, but in general the bowlers will need to change their plan of attack due to the nature of the pitch.
It has been smooth sailing for Australia with the home side sticking to the same playing XI that deflated the Indian team at Adelaide last week. Most of the Indian batsmen including Cheteshwar Pujara have made subtle changes in their stances to overcome the deadly combo of Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
The Boxing Day Test is shaping up to be another engrossing battle and this time India simply cannot afford another batting collapse or fielding lapses.
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