Head coach Rahul Dravid with captain Rohit Sharma during a observe session in Centurion on December 30, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
It was an elective session on the Supersport Park however for India skipper Rohit Sharma, skipping the nets wasn’t an choice.
Outfoxed by South African tempo spearhead Kagiso Rabada in each innings of the opening Test, Rohit was current as skipper and batter in equal measure during a two-hour session.
The Indian captain was focussed on going through Mukesh Kumar, who bowled solely to Rohit for at the very least 45 minutes.
While the fit-again Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin additionally bowled in the identical nets, the Indian skipper’s full consideration was on the one Test previous Bengal seamer. Occasionally, Dayanand Garani, the throwdown specialist saved his deliveries quick and full on off stump channel.
He really needed Mukesh to bowl one which comes in with the angle from size.
“Hawa mein andaar aa raha hai. Par koshish kar angle se andar laane ka,” the skipper informed his youthful colleague.
Rohit particularly needed Mukesh to pitch in between 4-6 metre size and the seamer appeared to have impressed the skipper. There had been instances when he beat Rohit’s bat and earned appreciation from the senior professional.
When batting coach Vikram Rathour requested him, “Tu is net pe aayega” (would you want to make use of this one), pointing on the nets solely saved for throwdowns, the skipper replied: “Nahi yehin pe aur 10 minute bat karoonga” (No I’ll bat right here for an additional 10 minutes).
The skipper devoted further time for Mukesh and it appeared he was giving suggestions on wrist place and the size that he must hit on a daily foundation.
Mukesh has been constantly enjoying home cricket and is likely one of the greatest causes for Bengal that includes in two Ranji Trophv finals in three years.
On the day, he did ask a couple of probing questions of the Indian captain and positively made a case for himself for the Newlands sport.
Mhambrey works on Prasidh’s size
It can be an enormous shock if Prasidh Krishna, after his forgettable debut, will get an opportunity to play in the subsequent Test.
Far from being Test match prepared, it was time for him to get again to the drafting board.
Prasidh did not bowl to any batters on the nets because the lanky man from Bengaluru sought to determine what’s the appropriate size to hit in South African situations.
Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey paid singular consideration to Prasidh during the 75 odd minutes that he bowled on the nets.
Mhambrey saved three lengths for the pacer.
First, two horizontal blue strips on 10 metre size (quick), then two purple chip sort on 6-8 metre size (again of size) and two parallel yellow strips on good size (round 4 metre).
Prasidh was requested to hit every of these lengths on a daily foundation.
He wasn’t at all times profitable and it was evident that he’s not prepared for the massive take a look at but.
Jadeja appeared absolutely match
Ravindra Jadeja appeared utterly match as he bowled and batted comfortably for a substantial period of time, allaying fears about whether or not he can participate in the must-win second Test.
Jadeja bowled for near 45 minutes alongside Ashwin. He appeared to be bowling fast as he made Rohit defend a couple of deliveries hurriedly.
While batting, he appeared good and upright whereas enjoying some punchy drives.
Shardul harm scare, Jaiswal scratchy
Shardul Thakur whereas batting obtained a nasty hit on the left shoulder whereas going through throwdowns from fielding coach T Dilip.
While he accomplished the session, he was seen carrying an ice pack sling to minimize the bruise.
He may not want scans because it was learnt that it isn’t very critical however it is going to be attention-grabbing to see how lengthy the ache takes to subside.
Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal appeared a bit scratchy and at instances appeared aggravated, loudly admonishing himself after being overwhelmed as soon as.
At one other time, he could not take care of Raghu’s searing tempo whereas going through throwdowns because the bat got here down late and the stumps went for a toss.
His closest competitor Abhimanyu Easwaran appeared higher in the nets however he’s unlikely to pip Jaiswal to the opening slot.
