As India grapples with a challenging Test match against Australia at the Gabba, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill have been hard at work, trying to improve their skills in the nets on Day 4 in Brisbane.
While the team battles it out on the field, Kohli and Gill are focused on bettering their performance in the second innings, with the Indian pacers, including Prasidh Krishna, providing tough challenges in the nets.
Harbhajan Singh, speaking to the broadcasters, shed light on the significance of the additional practice session.
'They have been hitting a lot of balls here. Why are they here? They haven't been scoring a lot of runs in this series. India need Virat and Gill to fire. It's so good to see them at the practice session even when Team India is batting out there. They are here in the nets, hitting a lot of balls. You can feel good by hitting a lot of balls. When you are not in form, you can feel better by hitting a lot of balls,' Harbhajan explained.
'I hope these practice sessions will bring what India needs in the middle,' he added.
Kohli's latest dismissal -- chasing a wide delivery from Josh Hazlewood -- sparked memories of his 2014 tour of England, where deliveries outside the off stump had repeatedly troubled him. It marked the fourth time in five innings this series that Kohli fell to a similar weakness.
Cricketing great Allan Border questioned whether Kohli has lost his edge.
'Today's dismissal, that's normally a delivery he would have left alone if he was in his best possible form,' Border told Fox Cricket on Monday. 'I'm not sure what's going on with Virat mentally (and) whether he's just lost that edge.'
Former England captain Michael Vaughan echoed Border's thoughts, suggesting Kohli's approach had been overly aggressive.
'He's a player who's going out there (and) almost trying to get on top too soon,' Vaughan said.
'When he plays at his best, particularly in Australia and England when the ball does a little bit more, he just leaves the ball. Most of his dismissals in this series have been balls that he could have left.' Vaughan added.
Kohli's desperation to rediscover his touch was evident as he spent a significant time in the nets, determined to overcome his technical flaws and contribute meaningfully for his team.
Gill, too, has had a forgettable tour so far. After his promising 91 in the iconic Gabba Test of 2021, expectations had been high for the young batter's return to Australia.
However, he has managed just 60 runs in three innings this series and was dismissed cheaply -- caught behind for just 1 off 3 balls -- after attempting an ambitious drive against Mitchell Starc on Day 3.
Gill's struggles outside Asia have become increasingly apparent. Since his heroics at the Gabba in 2021, the 24 year old has failed to register a single fifty-plus score in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia).
Sunil Gavaskar, speaking about Gill's dismissal, criticised the shot selection at such a critical juncture of the game while Harbhajan highlighted the youngster's eagerness to correct his mistakes through hard work in the nets.
