India’s batting coach shares positive update on Shubman Gill’s recovery
Abhishek Nayar shared that the 25-year-old batter seems on track to recovering after sustaining a thumb injury in the intra-squad practice match.
Shubman Gill, who was forced to sit out the first Australia v India Test after copping a blow on his right thumb ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series opener in Perth, has exhibited promising signs of recovery ahead of the second Test.
India’s batting coach Abhishek Nayar, who kept a close eye on Gill’s return to the nets with the Indian team in Canberra, believes the batter looks ‘comfortable’ to return back in action.
"He is batting right now and our physio will evaluate him and I will know his status after that," Nayar told reporters on Friday, 29 November.
"But from what I have seen, he is looking comfortable batting and he looks like he can bat [in a match]. He is batting in the indoor nets and we will know if he can play the practice match or not," he added.
Gill, who had played an integral role with the bat in India monumental series triumph when they last toured Australia, also elaborated on his return to training in a recent BCCI video, which he concedes went better than he had expected.
"It was my first day, I was only trying to get a feel, to be honest, to see how the injury is reacting, if there is any soreness while playing. But it went much better than I and Kamlesh bhai (physio) expected and I'm very happy with that," he said.
Having registered a mammoth 295-run win in Perth, the Indian team is currently stationed in Canberra for a two-day practice match against Prime Minister’s XI starting Saturday, 30 November.
Leading in the five-Test series, they are scheduled to play the second Test against Australia from 6 December in Adelaide – a Pink Ball fixture.