Training day: Nets under a microscope

For a young and coachless Test side, director Ravi Shastri has become the go-to man in the Indian dressing room.

It was the Indian team’s first proper practice session after being humbled in Galle—and their first since two days prior to the first Test with rains having ruined their future ventures. For once the rain stayed away long enough for them to try and get over the disaster of Galle and move on. We look at the key figures involved in that rehabilitation process, from the captain, team director, recuperating mainstay, highly-debated new arrival, out-of-form prodigal batsman and anxious bench-warmer.

Ravi Shastri: An eye on all

While the boys spent their time playing football, the team director sat on a chair near the pitch getting a massage. Once skipper Virat Kohli ended the footy session with a mistimed kick that sent the ball sailing over the roof of the members’ area, it was time for Ravi Shastri to get involved. He first went to Kohli and the two had an animated conversation. It wasn’t the only one they would have over the next two-and-a-half hours. But this particular one concluded with the duo approaching the out-of-form Rohit Sharma for a tete-a-tete.

And all Rohit did was stand around like a school-kid who’s grades haven’t been up to mark of late as Kohli and Shastri led a little inquisition into the reasons for the same. It went on for five minutes, before Shastri rallied around the entire batting unit—what’s left of it anyway with Shikhar Dhawan having flown to Mumbai to meet an orthopaedic specialist the previous night—for a group meeting. Shastri and batting coach Sanjay Bangar took turns to address each one of them. This meeting went on for close to 20 minutes before it was time for nets.

Shastri and Kohli kept exchanging notes but while the skipper batted in the nets, the director stood behind the nets where the fast bowlers were operating from and kept shouting encouragement to Ishant Sharma in particular. It looked like Shastri was keen on Ishant working on hitting a good length just outside off-stump and jagging the ball back, and the lanky fast bowler received a “Brilliant” from Shastri, who was also busy doing squats while stood there, every time he succeeded in doing so.

Rohit Sharma: Fluent in nets

Shastri was also keeping a keen eye on Rohit in the nets. The Indians had decided to adopt the ‘pairs’ theme for their nets, which meant all six available specialist batsmen on tour were partnering each other in each of the three nets. Rohit was in the middle one with Virat for company, facing a few balls before jogging across to the non-striker’s end. As he mostly does, the Mumbai right-hander looked fluent while facing the throw-downs from Bangar and specialist, Raghu. And Shastri was ready with a compliment and some applause whenever Rohit timed one perfectly. So was Kohli, and it was obvious how badly the senior pros want their designated No.3 to score the runs expected of him. Once done with his batting, Rohit was soon joined by KL Rahul as the two were put through a rigorous close-in catching session by fielding coach R Sridhar. That is after he had stood between Ajinkya Rahane at gully and Rahul during the slip-catching session. In what was the most promising sight of the morning as far as the team is concerned, next to Rahul stood Murali Vijay taking catches at first-slip.

Murali Vijay: Up and about

It might not have reached the extent of being the ‘most talked about hamstring in the country’ like was the case with Michael Clarke’s during the Australian summer, but Vijay’s rehabilitation from injury has been making headlines even before India left for Sri Lanka. The opener clearly is the glue that keeps the batting order together, and it was quite obvious how it came unstuck and unravelled against the Sri Lankan spinners at Galle. Vijay was sprightly during the football session, often combining with Kohli and R Ashwin to pepper the opposition goal. And he was also the first to pad up and get into the nets, where he batted with no seeming difficulty against pace and spin for more than half-hour, even jogging the ‘virtual single’ between each drill. Then came the slip catches before which physio Patrick Farhart took him away to the side for an impromptu fitness test. He was made to jog without pads, and then with them for close to 15 minutes before the rain interrupted proceedings.

Stuart Binny: Busy as a bee

Another member of the team who caught the eye of everyone present was the newly arrived all-rounder from Bangalore. Almost straight off the plane he was manning the defence for the Kohli outfit, and even sneaking in precise long-passes. Binny was the busiest man during the nets session, not only because he was the freshest but also maybe he’s being looked at as the all-round agent who would anchor the five-bowler strategy, both with bat and ball. He first donned the role of the bowler, running in for close to 40 minutes alongside Ishant and Varun Aaron. Binny has always had the ability to swing the ball, and that was on display on a rather grassy side-net wicket at the P’Sara, which is anyway known as the best pitch for seamers in Sri Lanka. He kept the Indian openers in check during his spell before putting on his pads and spending a further 40 minutes in the net, facing the likes of Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harbhajan Singh and the net bowlers. And then Sridhar even arranged a solo fielding plus catching session for Binny on the sidelines in front of the Sri Lankan dressing-room prior to the rain.

Virat Kohli: Marshalling troops

After having shown off his power with the right-foot, Kohli then decided to don the captain’s cap, and he went around having one-on-one chats with almost every member of the team. He did spend that extra two minutes with those who hadn’t had the best of games in Galle, including Rohit, Harbhajan and also the one who watched it from the sidelines—except when he was substituting for Dhawan—Cheteshwar Pujara. He was also animated during the batsmen’s meeting. And then he entered the nets for a session that wasn’t as long as some of the others but seemed fruitful enough. After the umpteenth meeting with Shastri, Kohli took up the one role that is turning into his trademark, chucking balls at Bangar or Sridhar as they edge catches to the slip-cordon. It was a humid day, and you could make that out from the fluid dripping off Kohli’s face as he finally retired to the dressing-room.

Cheteshwar Pujara: Off-bench

There has been a lot of talk about Pujara and his continued stint on the bench, especially with the struggles of Rohit Sharma in the middle-order getting more and more negative publicity. The Saurashtra right-hander was his usual unsung self during practice. Though he did bat long enough, Pujara wasn’t a significant part of the fielding drills but did bowl his awkward leg-breaks once the tail-enders were in for a hit in the nets.