IND vs AUS 2022-23: After India won the opening Nagpur Tests, Monday saw Ravindra Jadeja train at the venue, while Shreyas Iyer remains doubtful for the second Delhi Test, whereas Jasprit Bumrah is still unlikely to be rushed in.
Star middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who was ruled out of the first Test due to a lower back injury, is still doing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, and it is unlikely the team management will risk playing him directly in a Test match. India and Australia will play the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi from Friday, and it is to be seen if Iyer can join the team.
Iyer had posted a few videos of his intense rehab programme at the NCA in Bengaluru under trainer S Rajnikanth. Iyer is doing his strength and conditioning routines. Still, the norm for returning to play in the international arena is to at least play a domestic game of some form before donning national colours again.
Hence Iyer, who has yet to play any competitive cricket for a month now, might not be directly thrown into a Test match where he might have to field for 90 overs, crouch and stand close-in and then bat for long hours. It will be interesting to see if the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee names Iyer in the Rest of India's squad for the Irani Cup match against Madhya Pradesh from March 1-5 to prove his fitness like they asked Ravindra Jadeja to play a Ranji Trophy game against Tamil Nadu.
Bumrah might not be rushed for Australia ODIs
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah's recovery from the stress fracture has been slow. The Indian team management is unlikely to risk playing him in the three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against Australia just after the end of the four-match Test series.
Bumrah will be needed for the potential ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 Final at The Oval in London from June 7-11 and the big ICC World Cup in India at the end of the year. Therefore, there is a possibility that Bumrah will return to play during Mumbai Indians' (MI) campaign at the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year, where his workload will be monitored.
Jadeja, Pujara sweat it out at Jamtha
In less than 48 hours after he had won the 'Player of the Match' award in the opening Test, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was back in the nets at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur for an optional training session ahead of the second Test in Delhi starting Friday.
Jadeja, who took seven wickets, including a five-for and a polished 70, did bat and bowl at the nets and was accompanied by senior top-order batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who will play his 100th Test in Delhi. Jaydev Unadkat, flying to Kolkata on Tuesday to play the Ranji Trophy final against Bengal, also rolled his arm over while wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat honed his keeping and batting skills.
The Australian team, which couldn't train at the centre wicket after the Nagpur Test as the groundskeepers had watered the track, had a lengthy session on the match strip on the day. A few social media pictures featured Marnus Labuschagne keeping wickets to the spinners.
Starc trains at Kotla, no instructions on pitch preparation from Team India
While the Australian team will be reaching Delhi on Tuesday morning, veteran seamer Mitchell Starc, who missed the first Test due to an injury, is already up and running, as he had his first nets session in Delhi on the day.
While Starc bowled at the nets, he also invited the local net bowlers and had a knock for about 20 minutes. It has been learnt that the DDCA groundstaff hasn't yet stopped watering the strip and, unlike conjectures by the Australian media, sources in the DDCA said that the Indian team management had given no specific instructions on the preparation of the track.
(With inputs from PTI)