Young Guns in the Spotlight: India’s Test Tour

India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel, has urged cricket enthusiasts to pay close attention to Nitish Kumar Reddy during the upcoming series in Australia. Morkel expressed confidence in the bowling lineup's potential to leverage the fast, bouncy conditions in Perth, although he acknowledged the challenges ahead.

The team’s preparation has seen Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, India's temporary captain and his trusted bowling partner, honing their skills under the Australian sun at Optus Stadium. However, the real test lies for the relatively inexperienced bowlers—uncapped players like Reddy and Harshit Rana, as well as Prasidh Krishna, who has just two Test matches under his belt. Morkel has been working closely with them, sharing insights from his own playing days in Australia to bridge the gap between domestic success and international challenges.

"It's great to have them around in the squad," Morkel said of Prasidh and the other specialist fast bowler in the squad, Harshit Rana. "I think they add a lot of variation to their attack, especially Harshit, who bowls at a good pace, finds a way to also extract some bounce out of the surface.

It's their first tour, Prasidh had a bit of experience with India A tour where he had a bit of game time, but for Harshit it's a bit of an unknown. My message to him was just, when I toured my first time here, playing in Australia, an intimidating place, to listen to the stories, take their advice. But for me it's just staying in your own bubble and finding those experiences, work them out for yourself."

As for Reddy, Morkel described him as a promising all-rounder with precision and the knack for exploiting seam movement in early conditions. He pointed out that Reddy could play a crucial role in relieving the fast bowlers by maintaining control and accuracy, which would be essential for the team’s strategy. “He’s someone to watch out for this series,” Morkel added, underscoring Reddy’s potential to shine in the all-rounder’s spot.

On the batting front, India’s lineup might feature some of its youngest players in decades. If Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel make the playing XI, it could result in one of the youngest combined ages for an Indian Test squad since 1947. Morkel expressed optimism, saying that facing Australia’s world-class bowling attack would be an invaluable learning experience for the newcomers. He urged the players to develop their strategies and mental resilience for the challenges ahead, as the series promises fast, bouncy pitches and intense competition.

Shubman Gill’s Fitness Under Watch

Meanwhile, India’s batting plans face uncertainty as Shubman Gill recovers from a thumb injury sustained in an intra-squad match. Morkel shared that Gill’s progress is being monitored daily, with the final decision on his participation likely to be made on match morning. 

"Shubman is improving every day, he obviously picked up a nasty blow in the mock game, in the squad game. I think with him it's going to be a day-to-day sort of process, fingers crossed for that improvement, but I think they'll wait, make a call with him up until the morning of the [match]," said Morkel.

While Gill attended training briefly on Wednesday, he did not participate actively and spent time chatting with Rishabh Pant before leaving.

In the event that Gill is unable to play, Devdutt Padikkal, who was retained in Australia after his India A stint, is poised to step in as the No. 3 batter. Although Gill’s chances of making the playing XI for the Perth Test remain slim, India’s youthful squad is ready to face the challenge head-on, promising an exciting series ahead.