A local Punjab pacer who bowled in the Afghanistan nets at the New PCA Stadium on Thursday was treated to a surprise during his stint. “Inka Test squad bilkul alag hai (their Test team is quite different),” he said with evident admiration.
For a young Test nation — just eight years old — the diverse options are noteworthy. Even with a horde of their white-ball superstars not around, there is promise in Hashmatullah Shahidi’s camp. But limitations of having only played a collective 12 Tests sometimes show up in the form of a standard Indian bowler in the nets. “I bowled Rahmanullah Gurbaz twice in the nets,” the young seamer said, detailing his experience to a bowling partner.
India, meanwhile, can ill afford even a trace of such complacency in the gruelling New Chandigarh heat. Even with only a week’s turnaround from the IPL season, preparations at their latest Test venue were far from relaxed.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir on Friday insisted that Shubman Gill’s men had already crossed a major transitional hurdle in England last year. But the 0-2 home surrender to South Africa last November still stung the backroom staff. The defeat underscored the preparations required for a fledgling Test unit and management.
“The one thing we have realised is that we need to start preparing better in red ball cricket. That was something which was lacking against the West Indies and also against South Africa [last year], that we have got to do going forward,” Gambhir told reporters on match eve.