After the heavy defeat in the Kolkata Test, Team India is desperate to make a comeback in the Guwahati Test. Although India can no longer win the series, another loss would mean a clean sweep. To avoid this, the team trained intensely at Eden Gardens on Tuesday. However, their training methods were so extreme that players could have gotten injured.

Two Indian players, Dhruv Jurel and Sai Sudarshan, were seen batting while sharing the same pair of pads. Both practiced against spinners without wearing a pad on their right leg, which was extremely risky. Turning deliveries can easily hit the unprotected front leg, causing serious injury.

Players could get injured
India trained for nearly three hours. During this time, left-hander Sai Sudarshan repeatedly faced spinners without a pad on his front leg. Dhruv Jurel also copied the same method and practiced reverse sweeps without a pad on his right leg. The idea behind this unusual practice was to improve footwork and avoid getting hit on the pads, but it came with a high chance of injury. This is not the first time cricketers have tried such techniques, but it is still dangerous.

Gambhir keeping a close watch on Sai Sudarshan
Head coach Gautam Gambhir seemed particularly focused on Sai Sudarshan throughout the session. With Shubman Gill likely to miss the second Test due to a neck injury, Sudarshan is expected to replace him. However, Sudarshan’s struggles against fast bowlers were a concern. Akash Deep troubled him repeatedly, and even net bowlers managed to beat him several times.

Gambhir and batting coach Vikram Rathour (referred to as Kotak in the report) spoke to him multiple times during breaks. Interestingly, only six players attended this optional practice session. Ravindra Jadeja was among them and spent the most time batting in the nets.