India Concerned about Shubman Gill's Availability for Pink-ball Practice Game

India's assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has provided an encouraging update on Shubman Gill's recovery from his thumb injury. The talented young batsman was seen batting without any discomfort in the nets at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. Gill had to sit out the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a fracture in his left thumb, which he sustained while fielding in slips during a match simulation against India A in Perth. However, it seems like he is on track to make a comeback soon, as he looked comfortable and in good form during the practice session ahead of the two-day game against Prime Minister's XI.

Gill then missed the series opener against Australia at the Optus Stadium, Perth, and in his place, it was Devdutt Padikkal who played at No.3 in the match.

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However, Abhishek Nayar has refrained from making a final call on Gill, saying his participation in the practice match will depend on the physio.

"He is batting now. The evaluation will be done by our physio. I am not aware of his status. But, when batting, he looked very comfortable. He is batting indoors. We will assess whether he will play tomorrow's match after the assessment," Nayar told reporters in Canberra on Friday.

On Friday, Shubman Gill did face a few underarm throws before increasing the intensity in his training. He faced Yash Dayal and Akash Deep in the nets, and now it needs to be seen whether he plays the pink-ball practice game.

Gill bats with Rohit Sharma in the nets

Shubman Gill was also seen batting alongside India captain Rohit Sharma in the nets. For the unversed, Rohit had also missed the series opener in order to spend some time with his family.

"I was just trying to get a feel to be honest, see how the injury is reacting, if any kind of soreness is there but it went much better than what I and Kamlesh bhai (Kamlesh Jain, physio) expected. Very happy with that," Gill said in a video posted by BCCI on X after the training session.

“Any ball when it hits the middle of the bat, the feeling that you get, that is the feeling I play for. When I got to know about my injury, first couple of days I was quite low and disappointed,” he added.

Rohit Sharma and his wife Ritika Sajdeh had recently welcomed their second child, a baby boy. In the absence of Rohit, KL Rahul had played as an opener.

However, when asked at which position Rohit will slot back into for the second Test in Adelaide, Abhishek Nayar replied, "It's too early for us to think about that. We are just going to try and take this game and see how it goes. And then maybe come up with plans once we reach Adelaide."

Speaking of India, the visitors registered an emphatic 295-run in the first Test against Australia to gain a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

The visitors will now play a two-day practice game against the Prime Minister's XI, beginning November 30 at the Manuka Oval. This match will serve as a perfect way to fine tune skills ahead of the all-important pink-ball Test in Adelaide.

The second Test of the five-match series will be played at the Adelaide Oval from December 6-10.

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