Rohit Sharma spent an hour batting with Rishabh Pant during Tuesday’s practice

Rohit Sharma spent an hour batting with Rishabh Pant during Tuesday’s practice

Rohit Sharma’s words, starting with that characteristic Arey, were directed at the Indian media contingent gathered behind his practice net at the Adelaide Oval. The Indian Test skipper had arrived for batting practice with Rishabh Pant a full hour before the team’s scheduled training session on Tuesday, three days before the second Test.

During his stint, he faced some challenging deliveries from India’s backup fast bowlers, experiencing a few plays-and-misses and edges, which is typical when facing the pink ball on the greenish practice pitches at Adelaide Oval. Though the journalists recording his practice weren’t creating any disturbance or being intrusive, their presence seemed to unsettle the senior batsman. Within moments, the team’s security personnel had instructed them to move away.

Rohit’s characteristic Arey seemed to suggest a dismissive ‘nothing new to see here’ attitude. However, it also revealed his eagerness to maximize the limited practice sessions available for adapting to the pink ball. Having missed the opening Test in Perth, he had briefly appeared at the crease in Canberra over the weekend, though his innings was cut short. Despite having access to practice facilities at Manuka Oval, Tuesday witnessed Rohit’s determined effort to find his batting rhythm, initially working with Abhishek Nayar before engaging with other coaches later in the evening, when he chose to face the team’s leading fast bowlers during the challenging twilight period.

As Wednesday’s practice session began, the media’s attention shifted dramatically from merely capturing Rohit’s batting footage to speculating about his batting position for Friday’s return as India’s captain in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. This scrutiny extended to contemplating the implications for KL Rahul, despite his notable performance in Perth.

The analysis became increasingly detailed, with observers closely monitoring the amount of new-ball practice Rohit received and noting his practice partners. During Tuesday’s session, Rohit had predominantly paired with Pant, potentially indicating their placement in the middle order. This arrangement seemed particularly significant given other practice partnerships that suggested KL Rahul would continue opening alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, with Shubman Gill at No. 3 and Virat Kohli maintaining his position at No. 4.

However, Wednesday’s practice session presented a different picture, with Rohit joining Jaiswal at the nets and facing the new ball from the start. This change could have been merely circumstantial, with Rahul occupied by media commitments, or it might have indicated the team management’s ongoing deliberations about the final batting order.

The situation became more intriguing when Rahul, despite confirming he had been informed of his position for the Adelaide Oval Test, spent considerable time during his press interaction discussing his philosophy towards opening batting and expressing his comfort in that role. This focus on opening batting wasn’t entirely surprising, given that most questions directed at him centered around his perspectives on potentially returning to the opener’s role in his career.

The question naturally arises: what could motivate Rohit to consider a shift down the batting order, especially after his successful stint as an opener in recent years, despite his current year’s underwhelming performance? Given his recent approach to starting innings, relocating down the order for the pink-ball Test might prove strategic, particularly now that Rahul and Jaiswal have demonstrated exceptional prowess against the new ball. However, this raises another consideration: whether Rohit can maintain his preferred Test cricket tempo while batting at positions 5 or 6.

It’s worth noting that over the past two days, Rahul has faced an equivalent amount of new-ball deliveries as Rohit. An interesting moment occurred when Rohit was heard questioning one of the reserve bowlers about using a new ball during Wednesday’s latter practice session, despite instructions to the contrary.

While the opening batting discussion captured attention, Kohli engaged in an fascinating practice duel against Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar. Though these right-arm pacers occasionally gained the upper hand—a common occurrence in the Adelaide Oval’s pink-ball net sessions—Kohli ultimately emerged victorious on Wednesday afternoon. He punctuated this triumph with a powerful straight drive off Saini’s full delivery, making sure to acknowledge his dominance over the fast bowler.

Among the pace contingent, Akash Deep has shown remarkable control with the pink ball. Nevertheless, India is likely to retain Harshit Rana in the lineup, following his impressive Test debut performance in Perth.

The practice dynamics have also provided interesting insights into the spin department. Washington Sundar, who batted alongside the top six on Tuesday, was notably absent from similar practice the following day. Meanwhile, R Ashwin was observed in an extended conversation with Gautam Gambhir, who reciprocated by bowling off-spin to the veteran spinner. Whether this signals Ashwin’s return to the playing XI remains uncertain, despite his previous success against Australia’s top order during his last two Adelaide appearances.

Or as Rohit would say, Are y we’ve witnessed this scenario before. The anticipation, theatrics, and unavoidable speculation surrounding India’s final team composition persist as they aim to overcome their pink-ball Test challenges at the Adelaide Oval while seeking a commanding 2-0 series advantage.