India practice: Big shots missing, BCCI introduces unique mannequin to add intrigue to Gautam Gambhir's coaching reign

India’s last full practice session, also potentially their last practice session, before the first Test against Bangladesh, starting on Thursday, might have presented a somewhat disjointed look, but it was short on neither purpose nor energy and intensity. A fair smattering of orange (jerseys, worn by the ‘net’ bowlers) competed for visual impact with the light blue practice tee of the 16-man Test squad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the pacers in the Test party given the option of either bowling or not.

The focus was largely on batting, both on the red clay strip inside the main stadium and the two similar practice strips at the adjacent MAC ‘B’ ground, with a slight emphasis on fielding. A solitary mannequin, blown up with a mixture of water and gas, bore mute testimony to the proceedings, the new addition - inspired by a visit to the National Football League headquarters in New York during the T20 World Cup - currently being used to simulate catching drills and holding the potential to be employed for a wider range of activities, going forward.

After a six-month break from Test cricket, India have been hard at work in the Tamil Nadu capital for the last few days, reacquainting themselves with the challenges of red-ball cricket. India’s last Test outing was against England in Dharamsala in March; since then, there has been a steady diet of franchise and international T20 cricket, the monopoly of the 20-over format finally snapped during the unsuccessful 50-over leg of a snappy Sri Lanka tour last month.

Over the last fortnight, a majority of the Test squad played in Duleep Trophy games in Bengaluru and Anantapur to prepare for a gruelling yet exciting next four months when Rohit Sharma’s men will play ten Tests – five at home and five in Australia – in their sustained quest for a place in the final of the World Test Championship for a third cycle running. This period will entail not just being on top of one’s collective game, but also making smart and intelligent decisions, especially surrounding workload management of the fast-bowling group led by the indefatigable Jasprit Bumrah.

Rohit wasn’t too fussed about the demanding road ahead, choosing to stay in the present rather than look eight or ten weeks ahead. He dismissed suggestions that the ‘big one’ lay in store in Australia – ‘Every match we play is a big one, there is no dress rehearsal in international cricket’ – and reiterated India’s long-held policy of internalisation rather than taking too much note of the opposition, who are on a high after their historic 2-0 conquest of Pakistan in the latter’s own backyard.

India's plan to tackle Nahid Rana

Bangladesh boast an exciting new pace sensation in the 21-year-old Nahid Rana, the six-foot-five right-armer who consistently touches the 145 kmph mark. Tall pacers have rattled India in the past, most notably at the start of this year when Marco Jansen held sway, though much of the South African’s success also stemmed from his ability to swing the ball back into the right-handers from the left-arm over angle. That India have taken note of Nahid’s five-wicket match haul in Rawalpindi when Bangladesh rallied from 26 for six to conjure a dramatic six-wicket win two weeks back is evidenced by their summoning of Gurnoor Brar, the six-foot, four-and-a-half inch quick from Punjab who can also rustle up disconcerting bounce. But Brar’s presence in the nets must be construed as a cover-your-bases endeavour rather than a knee-jerk, panic response to Nahid’s perceived looming threat.

Chepauk has been a happy hunting ground for India since the turn of the millennium, their only defeat in the last ten Tests at one of the more iconic grounds in the country coming at hands of Joe Root’s England in February 2021. On that occasion, India were undone by a black-soil deck that provided their spinners no joy. This red-soil surface should inject greater pace into the game with bounce a predominant ally of both batters and bowlers, though whether it will drive India to field a third pacer alongside Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj remains to be seen.

Unless something unforeseen transpires over the next few hours, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will reclaim their Test slots after just one appearance between them in the five Tests against England. Rishabh Pant is expected to complete an all-format comeback as he readies for his first Test since December 2022 which means Mohammed Shami excepted, all of India’s first-choice XI are in the mix. It’s a rare luxury for Rohit, given how blighted by injuries to colleagues his captaincy career has been; he’ll look to make the most of it by kickstarting the Gautam Gambhir coaching era in grand style.