India arrived in Canberra on Wednesday night with a group of fans waiting for them at the airport. They then spoke to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a little “how are you?”, and under very cloudy skies that eventually brought rain that lasted most of the training session, they focused on the challenge of playing against the pink. ball. India will step up their preparation for the second Test in Adelaide with a day-night match against the Prime Minister’s XI scheduled to begin on Saturday, but the weather forecast is pretty bad. The first day of the two-day game could very well be canceled.
Perhaps anticipating that, the Indian batsmen had nice long sessions to get used to the pink ball and all the antics it is capable of. Yashasvi Jaiswal had barely figured out what shot to play when he was hit on the pads and hated it. Standing there, legs crossed, hand on hip, he had to listen to Ravindra Jadeja gloat. “That ball is gone, isn’t it?” There was a hint of surprise in those words, and also of the challenge that now faces this team. Day-night Test matches are sometimes bowler-dominated affairs, especially in Australia.
“Whether it’s a pink ball or a red ball, the difference is really in the mind,” Nayar said. “Of course, there’s a little difference between the two – the color is different, there’s more lacquer – and we’re lucky that we had six to eight days to prepare. When we were in Perth, too, we were training with the pink ball. [Sharma] I was training [with the pink ball] also. So we have begun our preparations. “We will continue to focus on our game and do what we have to do.”
Rohit was waiting in the tunnels at Optus Stadium, greeting all the Indian players who were returning on a high after that 295-run win last week. His return, after becoming the father of a second child, has elevated the team even further. Rohit had already started playing against the pink ball in Perth and backed it up in Adelaide, although he looked a little rusty as he bowled some of his trademark shots, including a leg pull, which he was careful to keep down.
“When Rohit Sharma is around, there is a lot of laughter and joking,” Nayar said, “so the morale and atmosphere is good. The morale is great anyway. Rohit wasn’t there at the beginning, but he was with us a lot.” [in spirit] all the time. So there wasn’t much difference.”
With a chill in the air, a song on the speakers (heat waves from Glass Animals) and a picture of Gandalf from the lord of the rings Frozen on the big screen, where all he could do was shake his head back and forth with a satisfied smile (he’s clearly a fan of the band), this felt like a session where the Indian team was slowly getting familiar with the routine after a few well-deserved days of rest.
Rishabh Pant spent practically all his time running around the outfield. KL Rahul ran for 100 yards again and again. Virat Kohli attracted the attention of the fans who had come to watch and what they saw was a perfectionist who screamed in frustration when his attacks resulted in boundaries, delighted to receive it at mid-on soon after and gave a thumbs up to Mukesh Kumar. when he got the ball past his edge.
Jaiswal, who perhaps worked harder than most, changed priorities and tried his hand at fast bowling as training came to an end. After a two-step run from the boundary, he nearly bowled Dhruv Jurel on the tee, his hands flying towards his head as the ball whizzed past the top of those flexible yellow cricket stumps. bright. He didn’t look like he was having fun though. “Being a fast bowler is hard work, yes,” he said with a laugh and came back up to face more knocks.
Alagappan Muthu is Deputy Editor of ESPNcricinfo
