IND vs AUS, Adelaide Test: Shubman Gill gives KEY fitness update after missing Perth clash over thumb injury

Shubman Gill returns to training after a thumb injury, aiming for a spot in India's reshuffled batting order ahead of the pink-ball warm-up game against the Australian PM's XI.

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Shubman Gill returned to the Indian nets on Friday, indicating significant progress in his recovery from a thumb injury that kept him out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener against Australia in Perth.

India managed to dominate in Perth, securing a massive 295-run victory in Gill's absence. However, given his stellar performance during the previous tour, the team will be counting on him to deliver his best throughout the remainder of the five-match series.

Ahead of the pink-ball warm-up game against the Australian PM's XI, set to begin on Saturday, Gill was spotted facing bowlers Yash Dayal and Akash Deep in the nets.

"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 in Canberra.

Gill was understandably disappointed about missing the first Test due to his injury, but India’s exceptional performance in the opener lifted his spirits and put him back in a positive frame of mind.

"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. Perth is the only venue we did not play last time around (2020-21). It is such an iconic venue. But the way we played at the end of it, I was very happy," the batter added.

In Gill's absence, Devdutt Padikkal stepped in at number three for India but failed to make an impact.

Gill’s return doesn’t guarantee his usual batting position in the second Test slated to be played in Adelaide from December 6, as KL Rahul impressed as an opener in skipper Rohit Sharma’s absence during the Perth clash. With Rohit expected to resume opening alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul might slot in at number three, potentially pushing Gill down to number five.

It remains to be seen whether India will experiment with the batting order during the warm-up game. As the match is not a first-class fixture, all batters are likely to get a chance to spend time in the middle.