IND vs SA: Shubman Gill has long nets session; Jaiswal, Sudharsan sweat it out ahead of first Test in Kolkata
India captain Shubman Gill spent close to an hour and a half at the nets, fine-tuning his technique ahead of the opening Test against South Africa, starting in Kolkata on Friday.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having secured a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month in challenging conditions.
Gill, who struck a fifty and an unbeaten century in the two home Tests against West Indies last month, has been searching for runs in white-ball cricket.
He didn’t have a single score of 50 or above in eight innings across the ODIs and T20Is in Australia.
Now, back to leading the Test side, Gill batted with determination in the nets and looked keen to regain his rhythm.
Before the nets session, head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak were seen having a long chat with Gill, possibly discussing his approach.
Gill later joined his teammates for slip-fielding drills before padding up alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal for an intense session in the nets.
Starting with spin, Gill faced Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, mostly playing along the ground while also occasionally sweeping the ball.
Moving to the pace nets, he faced Nitish Kumar Reddy, who bowled in tandem with a few local club bowlers as they tested him with seam movement.
A support staff member then used a sidearm to deliver throwdowns from height to help Gill get acquainted with extra bounce and pace.
After more than an hour in the side nets, Gill shifted to the central strip for another 30 minutes of throwdowns under the watchful eye of bowling coach Morne Morkel, who himself rolled his arm over to generate sharp pace and bounce.
Fresh from scores of 67 and 156 for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy, Jaiswal also had a long stint at the central wicket, facing Morkel and taking throwdowns. The left-hander looked in fluent touch, driving and pulling with assurance.
Spotlight on Sudharsan
Another batter to spend significant time in the nets was Sai Sudharsan, who managed just 84 runs in two unofficial Tests for India ‘A’ against South Africa ‘A’.
The team management continues to back him for the No. 3 slot, though he is yet to make it his own, with only a 61 against England in Manchester and an 87 versus West Indies at home to show so far in Tests.
His India ‘A’ teammates—KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj—skipped the optional practice after joining the squad only a day earlier following a demanding ‘A’ series in Bengaluru, which concluded on Sunday.
But there was no such ‘break’ for Sudharsan, who batted with full intensity, facing pacers, spinners, and taking throwdowns at the centre strip.
The No. 3 position remains a talking point, especially with Jurel being in prolific form.
Among the pacers, only Jasprit Bumrah turned up, keeping it light with spot bowling at two stumps for about 15 minutes, targeting the off-stump.
Bumrah also batted briefly and spent time interacting with teammates.
Bumrah had a light strapping on his right knee, and bowled under the supervision of Gambhir and Morkel.
Overall, only seven players turned up for the optional practice session, as the likes of Rishabh Pant, Jurel, Rahul, Siraj, Kuldeep, Akash Deep, Devdutt Padikkal and Axar Patel skipped it.
Published on Nov 11, 2025
