In a massive boost for the Indian team, young batter Shubman Gill fully recovered from his finger injury ahead of the second Test match against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gill batted without any discomfort during the warm-up match against Australia’s Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.
The young Indian team, led by Jasprit Bumrah, secured an emphatic 295-run victory over Australia in the first Test. Notably, India missed key players like Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. Devdutt Padikkal replaced Gill in the playing XI, but he scored only 25 runs across both innings of the Test match in Perth.
Watch: Shubman Gill Reaches Half-Century in Warm-Up Match
There were concerns about Gill’s readiness for the upcoming pink-ball Test in Adelaide. However, the Indian camp shared positive updates, confirming Gill’s return from a thumb injury. The right-hander featured in the warm-up game against the Prime Minister’s XI with the pink ball in Canberra.
The 25-year-old got valuable match practice with the pink ball in day-night conditions. He made the most of the opportunity with an impressive fifty. Gill scored 50 runs off 62 balls in a run chase of 241 runs in 46 overs. However, he retired not out after reaching his milestone to give a chance to other batters.
Cricket Australia took to their social media account on X (formerly known as Twitter) to share the clip of Gill reaching his half-century with the caption, “A half-century for Shubman Gill in his first innings of India’s Australian tour #PMXIvIND.”
You can watch the clip of Gill below:
A half-century for Shubman Gill in his first innings of India’s Australian tour #PMXIvIND pic.twitter.com/YCPGFMqvs8
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 1, 2024
Talking about the match, India opted to bowl first after winning the toss. They wanted to test their bowlers with the pink ball in the afternoon session. Harshit Rana took four wickets, while Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, and Prasidh Krishna picked up one wicket each. PM XI was bowled out for 240 runs.
There Will Be Two Changes For Sure – Sunil Gavaskar
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said that India will adjust their batting order for the second Test against Australia. He predicted that Rohit Sharma would replace KL Rahul at the top, while Gill would bat at number three. Gavaskar also said Ravindra Jadeja might replace Washington Sundar.
“I think there will be two changes for sure, both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill coming back into the 11. My feeling is that the batting order will change. Where Rohit Sharma will replace Rahul, Shubman Gill will bat at three, Padikkal and Jurel will go out of the team, Rahul will bat at six,” Gavaskar told 7Cricket.
“And one other change that could happen is that Jadeja comes in place of Washington Sundar,” he added.
Gavaskar’s predicted Indian playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Also read: Watch: Ravindra Jadeja takes stunning catch to dismiss Hanno Jacobs during IND vs PM XI clash