Team India were greeted by rain in Adelaide on their arrival on Monday evening. However, the first training session at the Adelaide Oval went along as planned and the players got the chance to have an extended nets session under grey skies.
The second ODI of the three-match series is on Thursday.
The focus remained on the batters on Tuesday after their combined failure in the opener in Perth, which led to Australia coasting to a seven-wicket victory in the rain-shortened match.
The top-three of India’s batting — Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill — went through the paces under the prying eyes of head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.
The trio were dismissed cheaply on a bouncy and lively Perth wicket and the focus on Tuesday was on getting used to the variable pace on the wicket. Selection decisions will be of prime importance as India aim to rebound after a disappointing start to the series.
While Kohli was undone by a delivery outside the off stump, Rohit had been felled by one which bounced awkwardly. Going by their commitment and passion, there is increasing hope that they will strike form at the appropriate time. Even Sunil Gavaskar sounded optimistic.
Kuldeep Yadav at training in Adelaide. Picture courtesy BCCI
“They were playing on probably the bounciest pitch in Australia. It wasn’t going to be easy, especially for players who haven’t played international cricket for a couple of months. It was challenging even for Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who play regularly,” Gavaskar said on India Today.
“India are still a very, very good team. Don’t be surprised if Rohit and Kohli score big in the next two games. The more they play, the more time they spend in the nets, the quicker they’ll find their rhythm. Once they’re back among the runs, India’s total will be 300, 300-plus,” Gavaskar added.
However, there has been a lot of talk about KL Rahul’s batting position and the team management’s decision to send Axar Patel ahead of him. Rahul, who opens in Test cricket, is technically better than others and there is a school of thought that he should bat at No. 4 with Shreyas Iyer dropping to No. 5.
Former captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth was baffled by Rahul’s position in the batting order.
“KL Rahul should play ahead of Shreyas Iyer. It was an absurd decision by the team management. You are leaving him and looking somewhere else. If he scores, he scores a lot. Axar Patel going higher than KL is absolute rubbish,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“The point is not whether Axar played well or not. You have one of the best and classiest players in your XI. KL should have come in at five. If I were the captain, I would have even sent him at four, in fact. The conditions in the subcontinent are different from those in Australia. He should be playing the maximum number of balls.”
Another big decision that awaits the team management is — will they play Kuldeep Yadav? Perhaps the session on the eve of the match will throw some light on the captain and the coach’s thinking.
