There has been much debate about a possible batting position for Rohit Sharma, especially in the ongoing Test series against Australia. He missed the first Test because he enjoyed spending time with family following the birth of his second child, and then in the second Test, at No. 6 along with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, he batted as openers. This did not come to fruition as both scored very poor in the pink-ball Test-matching held in Adelaide. However, this setup is expected to continue in the third Test match as well, with the practice session on Thursday dropping major hints about the decision.
Rahul and Jaiswal were the first ones to hit the practice session but Rohit came out to bat earlier than last time. He replaced Rahul for some time before the latter came back for another round.
In the meantime, star batter Virat Kohli, along with other team members, was seen stretching and warming up. The much-discussed head coach Gautam Gambhir along with bowling coach Morne Morkel and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar were into a serious discussion, probably strategizing for the upcoming Test.
Captain Rohit Sharma was actively warming up and was seen talking with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja later. Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill were also focused on their stretching and running routines.
Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli were deep into conversation when Gambhir could be seen again conversing with wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant before catching up, while the youngsters Devdutt Padikkal and Harshit Rana jogged off, joining a few minutes later by seamer Akash Deep.
Jasprit Bumrah, who impressed in the first Test, was once again seen warming up.
With fielding coach T Dilip pointedly epitomizing specific areas ad offering advice especially to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli addressed the team in a huddle.
It was then a fielding session practicing together slip catching drills. Rishabh Pant stood behind the stumps while Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal took to the slips. Later Devdutt Padikkal joined them in the slip cordon.