Image: Results of the Indian team's practice match before the Border Gavaskar Trophy / © The Hindu
With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy approaching, the Indian squad organized an intra-squad match to assess their readiness, receiving an early reality check before the series. Key players encountered challenging moments, as Virat Kohli was dismissed for 15 runs by India A’s Mukesh Kumar, despite showing glimpses of his signature shots early on. Rishabh Pant, the star of India’s recent series against New Zealand, started confidently but struggled when bowlers shifted to short-pitched deliveries as he was eventually bowled by Nitish Kumar Reddy for 19.
Similarly, Yashasvi Jaiswal couldn’t establish a solid innings, also managing just 15 runs. These modest scores reflect the challenging adjustments Indian batters may need to make as they prepare to face Australia’s formidable pace lineup. Adding to India’s concerns, KL Rahul had to leave the field due to an injury, with a physio attending to him, leaving uncertainty over his availability.
With the Perth Test scheduled to begin on November 22, this match serves as the only practice game, highlighting areas for improvement while giving the squad a brief but intense introduction to the upcoming challenges. The team now relies on remaining net sessions to fine-tune their approach and solidify their strategies ahead of the high-stakes series.