After two-day closed-door practice session at VCA Civil Lines, Indian players had an extended net session at VCA Jamtha that lasted for around four hours. The Indian team members reached the stadium at 9 a.m. and immediately started the practice session. Under the watchful eye of coach Rahul Dravid, all the premier batsmen Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Surya Kumar Yadav, wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan did batting practice in the nets. Then to take the feel of centre wicket, they also practiced on the adjacent pitch.
To release the stress of the strenuous practice session, some players including Ishan Kishan were also seen sharing lighter moments with colleagues. Surya Kumar Yadav, who is known for his unique unorthodox shots tried them in a net session also. Former skipper Virat Kohli tried to stop him by doing so, but the explosive batsman continued to do it. Finally Kohli had no other option but to leave the batsmen on his own mercy.
All the premier batsmen and bowlers of Vidarbha senior team including pacer Rajneesh Gurbani, Yash Thakur, Aditya Sarwate, captain Akshay Wadkar and even some Under-19 players offered their services as net bowlers.
Australian team arrives
The Australian team arrived in the city from Bengaluru on Monday after holding a rigorous four-day conditioning camp in Alur. Both teams are scheduled to practice at the Jamtha Stadium over the next two days to tune up for the opening encounter. The Indian and the Australian teams, as well as all match officials, will be staying at Hotel Radisson Blu.
--