Shubman Gill and co train hard ahead of day 1 against South Africa on November 14
Morne Morkel and Gill hold meeting with pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee
India whitewashed West Indies 2-0 in their previous home Test series
Transitioning from the shorter formats to the rigours of red-ball cricket takes time, and India captain Shubman Gill spent close to an hour and a half at the nets, fine-tuning his technique ahead of the opening Test against South Africa, starting here on Friday.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
Gill, who struck a fifty and an unbeaten century in the two home Tests against the West Indies that India swept last month, has been searching for runs in white-ball cricket.
He managed just one score above fifty -- a 46 at Carrara Oval -- from eight innings across the ODIs and T20Is in Australia.
Back to leading the Test side, Gill batted with determination, keen to regain rhythm after a lean white-ball run.
Before the nets, head coach Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak were seen having a long chat with him near the High Court end, possibly discussing his approach.
Gill later joined his teammates for slip-fielding drills before padding up alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal for an intense net session.
Starting with spin, he faced Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, playing mostly on the ground with occasional sweeps.
Moving to the pace nets, he faced Jasprit Bumrah for a few overs before Nitish Kumar Reddy and a few local club bowlers tested him with seam movement.
A support staff member then used a sidearm to deliver throwdowns from height, giving Gill extra bounce and pace.
After more than an hour in the side nets, he shifted to the central strip for another 30 minutes of throwdowns under the watchful eye of bowling coach Morne Morkel, who himself rolled his arm over generating sharp pace and bounce.
Fresh from scores of 67 and 156 for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy, Jaiswal also had a long stint at the central wicket, facing Morkel and throwdowns. The left-hander looked in fluent touch, driving and pulling with assurance.
Spotlight On Sai And No. 3
Another batter to spend significant time at the nets was Sai Sudharsan, the Tamil Nadu youngster who managed just 84 runs in two unofficial Tests for India A against South Africa A.
The team management continues to back him for the No. 3 slot, though he is yet to make it his own, with only a 61 against England in Manchester and 87 versus West Indies at home to show in Tests so far.
His India A teammates -- KL Rahul, Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj -- skipped the optional practice joining the squad only a day earlier after a demanding A series in Bengaluru that concluded on Sunday.
But there was no such 'break' for Sai who batted with full intensity, facing pacers, spinners, and throwdowns at the centre strip.
The number three position remains a talking point, especially with Dhruv Jurel in prolific form.
There's also speculation that Jurel could feature as a pure batter, with Rishabh Pant set to return to wicket-keeping duties after injury.
Jurel, who averages 47.77 in Tests and notched his maiden ton against the West Indies, has been in red-hot first-class form -- three centuries in his last five matches, including twin hundreds in the second match against South Africa A.
Among pacers, only Bumrah turned up, keeping it light with spot bowling to two stumps for about 15 minutes, targeting the off stump.
In a relaxed mood, he also batted briefly and spent time interacting with teammates.
Bumrah had light strapping on his right knee but bowled under the supervision of Gambhir and Morkel.
Focus on pitch
After nearly three hours of training, the team's think tank -- Gambhir, Kotak, Morkel, and Gill -- gathered at the centre wicket for a long pitch inspection.
Morkel and Gill checked firmness before summoning curator Sujan Mukherjee for a 15-minute discussion. Judging by their expressions, the management did not appear entirely pleased with the surface.
The pitch appeared brown with light grass patches.
In the two Ranji games here earlier this season, India pacer Akash Deep and veteran Mohammed Shami had struggled for assistance on the opening day before Shami's reverse swing turned things later.
CAB president Sourav Ganguly has already clarified that no request for a "rank turner' has been made by the team management.
South Africa boast of a balanced attack in both pace and spin.
If Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen spearhead the pace department, the spin trio of Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer, and Senuran Muthusamy were outstanding in Pakistan.
Harmer (13), Muthusamy (11), and Maharaj (9) shared 33 wickets between them in two Tests, with Muthusamy -- who also scored 106 runs -- being named Player-of-the-Series.
