Gill spends long session at nets

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan sweat it out ahead of the game

- PTI

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.