The India national cricket team, led by Temba Bavuma, has begun intensive preparations under the watch of head coach Gautam Gambhir at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday (November 11) ahead of the first Test against South Africa.
The first Test of the upcoming two-match Test series is set to begin on November 14 in Kolkata and Gambhir wasted no time in getting involved. Gambhir, along with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and bowling coach Morne Morkel, went straight to the center wicket to inspect the pitch.
Gautam Gambhir, Morne Morkel and Sitanshu Kotak inspect Eden pitch ahead of South Africa Test
As reported by RevSportz, Morkel, Kotak and Gambhir observed the surface closely for about ten minutes, before the Indian head coach had a long discussion with pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee and analyzed every detail. Gambhir was the first person to come on the field.
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Meanwhile, Indian captain Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudarshan were the first players to reach the nets. Despite returning from the T20I series in Australia a few days ago, the Indian players skipped the rest days to immediately begin training in Kolkata.
Apart from Gill, Jaiswal and Sai, Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy also took part in an optional but important practice session ahead of the opening match of the two-match Test series at the Eden Gardens.
Sudarshan, who faced scrutiny for consecutive poor scores, had one of the longest batting seasons. He started with a throwdown before moving to center wicket, where Gambhir himself watched closely and gave signals. Sessions hinted that India may continue to back Sudarshan at No. 3 for the first Test, despite growing noise over his place in the playing eleven.
Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jasprit Bumrah shine in intense training ahead of South Africa Test
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill looked in full form during his long net session. He faced both throwdowns and fast bowlers and spent about two hours perfecting his technique. Jaiswal, who scored a brilliant century in the Ranji Trophy last week, also had a very busy day.
The young Indian opener started against the fast bowlers and then faced Jadeja and Sundar in the spin nets, with Gambhir keeping a close watch and occasionally interacting with the batsmen. On the bowling front, Bumrah’s training schedule was light but controlled.
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Bumrah started with stretching and warm-up, then bowled a short spell with a short run-up. A bandage was visible on his right knee, but there was no sign of discomfort. After a short break, the star pacer returned with some spot deliveries under the supervision of Morkel and Gambhir.
Gautam Gambhir stresses on fitness and focus as India prepare for ICC T20 World Cup 2026
Earlier, Gautam Gambhir had shared an update on the team’s preparations for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The Indian head coach has stressed that the team is focusing on improving fitness and performance standards ahead of the tournament. He said that although the team is making good progress, they have not yet reached the level they want to reach for the World Cup.
“Our dressing room has been very transparent and honest and we aim to maintain that. I think we are still not on target for the T20 World Cup. Hopefully the players will understand the importance of staying fit. We have three months left to get where we need to be,” Gambhir told BCCI.TV.