Kolkata: For someone who knows Gautam Gambhir well will tell you he is a guy who likes to keep a check on his emotions. Very rarely will you see Gambhir expressing himself. It was one such day at the Eden Gardens when the left hander was seen practicing with his once team mates after being in the exile for almost 25 months. The 34 year old opener spotted a smile when he walked into the Eden Gardens.
One would have expected that the left hander will be given an extended batting session at the nets. Much to the disappointment for the sparse crowd that turned up to watch the Indian team practice from the Club House, Gambhir faced only a few deliveries in the later stages of the two-hour practice. Indian captain Virat Kohli later clarified that no inference could be drawn from the practice session.
Kohli said sometimes the batting order was followed but it is not necessary that people, who have not batted for long during the nets, won’t play.
“Day before the game we definitely look to do that with the batting order. It can differ from player to player. Sometimes a player doesn’t want to bat in the nets. He just wants throwdowns and then walk away.
“You won’t see him entering the nets, that don’t mean he won’t play. Day before the Test we look to bat the batting order how would be but at the same time if someone wants to pull out that doesn’t mean he won’t play. It’s just the preparation preference that an individual has before a game,” Kohli said.
Gambhir’s stint at the two-hour net session also included giving some catching practice at the start to Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan. The Knight Riders captain was seen doing some shadow practice on the wicket and also had a good look at the wicket. He had to wait for his turn at the nets as Shikhar Dhawan batted at the nets for a long time. It is most likely that Gambhir’s teammate in his Delhi team can find favour with the team management. In that case Dhawan will open the innings with Vijay. There is another possibility i.e., Pujara opening the innings Vijay and Virat coming in at No. 3.
Gambhir was seen sharing some light moments with Virat. Both of them had some heated exchanges on the cricket field in recent times. He got an opportunity to bat at the nets only after the main batsmen finished their nets. He batted along with Ashwin who is carrying an injury to his thumb. The opener was also seen taking some throw downs from Sanjay Bangar. He did make some adjustments with his stance. He is seen taking more of an open chested stance ever since he met Justin Langer in Australia last year. Later Kumble was seen sharing a few flaws in his technique.
He looked quite dejected towards the end of his first practice session in the Indian team. Overall it was a mixed day for the KKR captain who was eyeing a return in the Indian test team.