One-pad drill- Sudharsan, Jurel’s risky spin prep at Eden Gardens:Gambhir watches closely as the duo practice to counter turn; Reddy joins squad

India batters Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel opted for an unusual and risky method during Monday’s optional nets at Eden Gardens, facing spinners while wearing only a single pad. Sudharsan, a left-hander, removed his right (front) pad to force himself into a bigger stride and prevent falling into front-pad reflexes that often lead to LBW traps. The old-school drill pushes batters to use their bat as the primary line of defence rather than padding up against the turn. Batting against left-arm spin and off-spin without protection meant Sudharsan had to stay alert to avoid blows on the shin or exposed areas that could easily result in injury. He did not feature in the Eden Test, and with no guarantees for Guwahati either, this was part of his bid to sharpen footwork against spin, an area where several Indian left-handers have struggled, often defaulting to the back foot. Jurel followed a similar routine, taking off his right pad while rehearsing the reverse sweep on a centre strip. For a right-hander, the shot demands a long forward stride from the right leg- the unpadded drill helps groove that movement while keeping risk minimal. Head coach Gautam Gambhir monitored Sudharsan closely through the three-hour session. The youngster looked tentative against pace, with Akash Deep repeatedly finding his outside edge and even net bowlers troubling him. Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak spent extended periods speaking to him between spells. Only six players attended the optional nets, with Ravindra Jadeja putting in the longest shift. Reddy withdraws from India A series against South Africa A, joins Test squad With Shubman Gill unlikely to play the second Test in Guwahati due to a neck spasm, all-rounder Nitish Reddy has been withdrawn from the India A series against South Africa A in Rajkot and joined the Test squad in Kolkata. Gill is expected to travel with the team, but as per BCCI sources, the stiffness on the nape of his neck makes his participation improbable. Reddy was due to play the third List A match on Wednesday, but flying from Rajkot that night and then heading to Guwahati on Thursday would have forced him to miss the first practice session, a scenario the team management wanted to avoid. The right-hander, who has a Test century, could be in contention for a place in the XI in Guwahati.