India’s practice game – Gill’s injury and adjusting to conditions in …

Vaibhav Tripathi, Colombo

At the end, when the practice game came to an end, a certain Gautam Gambhir was seen smiling and laughing with Sitanshu Kotak and Sairaj Bahutule. Even the players looked in a jovial mood after defeating SLC XI in the practice match at the NCC. The way India played gave the team management plenty to smile about, especially on the last day, with Shubman Gill coming out to bat after being on the sidelines for two days. All the chatter around the Indian captain’s fitness was swept away once he batted in the middle without any sort of discomfort. Devdutt Padikkal’s century, along with the all-round brilliance of Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar, meant Team India took plenty of positives from the game.

For India, more than individual performances, the main objective was to adapt to the conditions. Apart from Jadeja, KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav, no other player had come to Sri Lanka for a Test series. Adaptability was the main objective of the game, as confirmed by Bahutule. fish-roadgame.com

“Preparation is part of any tour. The reason for us to come at this juncture is to make sure we adapt to the conditions and understand what the pitches are like,” Bahutule said at the post-match press conference. “A few guys have come here, but for the new guys, they need to adapt. This helps in our preparation for the Galle Test. I think they used the practice match brilliantly.”

Before coming out to bat in the middle, Gill spent more than an hour in the nets. First, he faced throwdowns and then some spin. Once he was done, he had a look at his right hand. But not once did he check his right hand after opening the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Bahutule was quick to dismiss any concerns over Gill, saying the Indian captain was absolutely fine.

“It was just a precaution more than anything else,” Bahutule clarified regarding Gill’s injury. “He’s absolutely fine. The management decided that we should take the precaution of not putting him in on the first day. The way he batted in the second innings was flawless, and he’s very much ready for the Test match.”

A couple of drives through the off side to start his innings, followed by a straight drive and a pull shot in front of square, saw Gill bat flawlessly. The rest he got helped him recover from the blow to his right hand. He was seen experiencing some discomfort while fielding earlier in the day, but by the evening, any concerns had been erased.

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New Delhi [India], August 10 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday interacted with India’s Commonwealth Games 2026 medal winners at his residence and praised the athletes for their dedication, hard work and contribution towards bringing glory to the nation.

During the interaction, PM Modi said athletes have been among the most frequent visitors to his residence and appreciated their consistent efforts over the years to achieve success for India.

“I have been in this house for about 12 to 13 years now. If there is anyone I have received regularly and every single time, it is the athletes. Because of your hard work over the last 10 to 12 years, your constant efforts to bring victory to India, and the tradition of scaling new heights of success," PM Modi said in a video posted on his YouTube handle on Monday.

The Prime Minister highlighted the impact of athletes’ achievements in motivating young people to take up sports, saying their medals inspire more than just words.

“The impact we could try to make by going to schools and telling them ‘you should play,’ your medals inspire them far more than any words ever could," he added.

PM Modi also interacted with individual athletes during the meeting. Speaking to women’s shot put F57 gold medallist Sharmila Dhankar, he recalled her earlier promise that her two daughters would also become athletes.

“You promised me last time that your two daughters would become athletes," PM Modi said.

Responding to him, Sharmila said, “Yes, they are still young. In the next Commonwealth Games, we will show you three medals coming from one home."

The Prime Minister also shared a light moment with women’s discus throw bronze medallist Seema Kaliramna, who said she was nervous while meeting him.

“My heart is racing, sir," Seema told PM Modi.

“Don’t worry. You’re going to get a medal for your speech too!" PM Modi replied.

Seema later shared her excitement about meeting the Prime Minister and said her friends often asked her in Haryanvi if she would get an opportunity to meet him.

“My friends used to ask me, in Haryanvi, they’d say, ‘Have you met PM Modi that we should listen to you?’ Today, I have met you, sir, and now I can tell them, ‘Yes, I have met Modi-ji,'" she said.

PM Modi further stressed that building a sports culture was essential for India to achieve greater success at the international level.

“Sports infrastructure is one part of it, but a country wins medals when a ‘sports culture’ is built. Friends, you have done a great job and brought glory to the nation. I congratulate you all," he said.

Expressing confidence in their future performances, PM Modi said the athletes would continue to achieve success and hoped to meet them again after more victories.

“Believe me, you will be victorious in the future as well, and we will meet here once again. Thank you very much and best wishes," he said.

India ended its Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow with 39 medals, including 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze, to finish fourth in the overall medal standings.

The Glasgow Games concluded after 11 days of competition, with Scotland formally handing over the Commonwealth Games flag and ceremonial baton to India, which will host the landmark centenary edition of the multi-sport event in Ahmedabad in 2030. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Former Brazil international Jadson has been arrested in Brazil following allegations of domestic violence involving his wife. She reportedly accused him of grabbing her neck during an argument, while Jadson denies any physical assault. He was later granted provisional release under court-imposed conditions as authorities continue investigating the allegations, with his legal team stressing his presumption of innocence.

The Centre of Excellence in the Garden City has been without a head of Sports Science and Medicine for nearly eight months, since it parted ways with Nitin Patel.

There has been a lot of focus on the injury management of several Indian cricketers in the last few weeks, with the finger of blame unfairly pointed at the CoE. VVS Laxman, the head of the CoE, and Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the BCCI, emphasised that the objective wasn’t to fill the Patel hole in a hurry, but to find a qualified and experienced replacement who understood the demands of the role.

“We are still on the lookout,” Laxman, the India stalwart whose tenure is due to end in December, emphasised during an interaction on Sunday. “But you have to find someone who is qualified and capable enough to take up that position.

Candidates pull out

“Andrew [Leipus, the former Indian physio who was also with the CoE] was part of the interview process when Nitin was selected in 2022. We reached out to Andrew [to replace Patel] the moment we got to know that Nitin didn’t want to continue. Andrew almost agreed and then backed out. The second interview process was an extensive one. The first choice was from Australia, but he also backed out at the last minute. The second and third candidates are already working at the CoE. It is our responsibility to upskill them while looking to identify someone of stature and experience and knowledge.”

Limited options available

Saikia read from the same page when he added, “They are very limited persons, not only in India but across the world. Therefore, we are facing some problems. But the process is on to find the right candidate.”

Outlining the CoE’s injury-management protocol, Laxman said, “The process starts with diagnosing the injury and finishes with a player declaring fit after the two RTP [Return To Play] matches. After diagnosis, players are sent to the CoE. We clinically examine and assess them. Based on that assessment, we know what the plan of action is for them to recover and join the team.

“Once the player is ready for the next phase, which is strength and conditioning, the S&C coach plays their part. Then they go to the skill part; we build up the load, and they play two RTP matches before we declare the player fit. We know the benchmark of every player, from skill and fitness points of view. Until the benchmark is met or bettered, we don’t release the player. The whole idea is that when they go back to their respective teams, they are up and running.”