India’s Test skipper Shubman Gill was seen playing some crunchy drives during the one-off warm-up game against Sri Lanka Cricket XI, even as he skipped the first innings after sustaining an impact injury to his right ring finger during a practice session.
While KL Rahul led the team on the field on Day 1, Gill didn’t bat in India’s first innings on the second day. But the skipper returned to action on the final day, opening the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal to get some much-needed match practice.
Gill showed no signs of rust or discomfort from the injury, opening his innings with two trademark drives in the third over. Watch the video here:
Dekho, Woh Aa Gaya 👀
Shubman Gill is back at the crease after the injury scare, and so are those trademark
cover drives. 🫡
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Gill struck five more boundaries during his knock, scoring a 54-ball 44 before Keshara Nuwantha dismissed him. The Indian team will hope he can carry his brilliant Test form into the Sri Lanka series, which starts with the first of the two Tests in Galle on Saturday, August 15.
Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was dismissed for a duck in India’s first innings, hit back with a quickfire 61 off 46 deliveries. He shared a 105-run opening partnership with Gill, giving India a flying start to their chase.
Gill, who missed the first two days of the match with a finger injury, returned to action and scored a useful 44 before being dismissed by spinner Keshara Nuwantha. His return to the middle was a major positive for India ahead of the opening Test against Sri Lanka.
For India, skipper Gill’s return to competitive action, Jaiswal’s brisk second-innings fifty and Padikkal’s half-century were among the key positives from the three-day match.
