Gautam Gambhir set to link up with India squad soon after brief absence due to personal reasons - Reports
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has reportedly departed from India, and is on his way to Adelaide to link up with the squad ahead of the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test. According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, the former player will begin overseeing the preparations and the proceedings after landing late on Tuesday, December 2.
Gambhir had flown to India after the series opener in Perth due to personal reasons. The 10-day gap between the first and the second Test meant that he did not miss any portion of the series, but he was unavailable for the pink ball warm-up contest.
Assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, along with bowling coach Morne Morkel, and fielding coach T Dilip, oversaw Team India's two-day warm-up match against the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra.
Gautam Gambhir has several selection headaches to deal with ahead of the second Test
Team India have the comfort of a 1-0 lead, but there is still quite a long way to go in the series. Although the combination picked for Perth put in a near-faultless shift, changes will be in the offing for the visitors in the second Test.
Skipper Rohit Sharma's return after attending the birth of his first child coupled with Shubman Gill's recovery from a finger injury makes them heavy favorites to return to the playing XI. Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel are likely to make way for the incoming pair, but that still does not solve the batting order conundrum.
KL Rahul's encouraging display in Perth, and his compelling overseas record at the top, makes him a strong candidate to continue featuring in the same position alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. This leaves a spot in the middle-order that either one of Rohit Sharma or Shubman Gill must occupy to complete the batting unit.
The second Test between India and Australia is scheduled to begin from Friday, December 6 onwards. The match will be a pink ball affair at the iconic Adelaide Oval.