NEW DELHI: Sticking to their unique routines in the nets, India's Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel spent Monday facing spinners while wearing just one pad—a risky but deliberate strategy to handle the turning deliveries.

As with many unconventional practices, there was a clear purpose behind the nearly three-hour optional session at Eden Gardens.

For left-hander Sudharsan, removing his right pad was intended to allow a bigger front-foot stride, unencumbered by protection on that leg.

Shubman Gill misses optional training session, participation in second Test highly unlikely: Report

Sudharsan did not feature in the Eden Gardens Test, and there is no certainty he will get a chance in Guwahati either.

Facing left-arm and off-spinners without a front pad meant Sudharsan had to be extra cautious to avoid strikes to the shin or other exposed areas that could cause injury.

This is a traditional, old-school training technique, designed to make batters depend more on their bat than on their front pad for defence.

When wearing pads, players often rely on instinct, using the front pad as their first line of protection - a habit that can frequently result in front-foot LBW dismissals.

By removing the front pad during net sessions, batters are forced to rely solely on their bat to block deliveries, honing technique and precision.

Another reason behind this drill is the current tendency among Indian left-handers to go on the back foot, as they struggle to read spinners from the hand and try to play with the turn.

The practice encourages batters to step out of the crease and smother the spin.

Similarly, Jurel was also seen without his right pad as he worked on the reverse sweep on one of the centre strips.

For a right-hander, the execution of the stroke demands a big stride forward with the right leg.

This again is an exercise designed to ensure correct movement while minimising the risk of injury.

During the optional session, head coach Gautam Gambhir kept a close watch on Sudharsan, one of the contenders to replace Shubman

Gill, who may have to sit out the second Test due to neck spasm.

The youngster did not look entirely confident against the pacers, as Akash Deep found his outside edge multiple times and even the net bowlers troubled him with movement.

Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak spoke to him at length during several breaks.

It was a bit surprising that only six players turned up for the optional session, including senior-most member Ravindra Jadeja, who batted the longest.

Nitish Reddy checks in

With Gill's participation in the second Test highly unlikely, all-rounder Nitish Reddy has been taken out of the ongoing India A series against South Africa A in Rajkot.

As per BCCI sources, Gill will be flying with team to Guwahati although with the amount of stiffness on the nape of his neck, chances of him playing the second Test looks bleak.

In the case of Reddy, the third and final List A match is scheduled for Wednesday. But the Andhra batting all-rounder reached Kolkata on Monday evening but did not take part in the day’s net session.

It is understood that it would have been difficult for Reddy to play on Wednesday night in Rajkot and then take a connecting flight the next day to Guwahati, which would also have meant missing the first practice session.

The team management was averse to such a possibility.

With a Test century to his name and being a right-hander, Reddy could again be in contention for a place in the playing eleven at Guwahati.

(With PTI Inputs)