India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: Jadeja, Ashwin take centerstage as Mukesh, Reddy, Saini expose tail

India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: Yesterday, Sarfaraz Khan became India's first injury concern at the nets. He was hit on the elbow by a new bowler after which he walked off and didn't take any further part in batting. Sarfaraz's injury did not look serious and the decision to not make him bat in the nets again could well be a precautionary measure. However, his absence from the game today could indicate that there might be more to the blow than what meets the eye. More so, because he starts as a strong candidate to feature in India's Playing XI in Rohit's absence.

India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: Play has resumed post lunch, and it's Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin batting in just the second session of the day. Dear god, we hope these are not the scenes that unfold in Perth by the time the nation wakes up. There's tons of 'Wake up to see India at 38/7' memes circulating all over the internet, but all that aside, the whole point of this game is to ensure the batting doesn't implode in Perth. Ashwin and Jadeja may not even play together, until Sydney for all we know. Hence, it becomes all the more reason for the top order to fire.

India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: Ishan Kishan, the player who holds the record for smashing the fastest ODI double-century, is keeping wicket for India A in this game. Ishan has had a roller-coaster of a ride year, from getting his Central Contract terminated to gradually making a comeback. He scored a century for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy before returning scores of 4 and 32, where he found himself embroiled in the ball-tampering controversy. Nonetheless, Ishan is here in Perth, taking baby steps towards his full-fledged India return.

India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: It hasn't been a long drill but whatever we've seen out of this practice, here is its conclusion:

- India A quicks looked good. Navdeep Saini, Nitish Reddy and Mukesh Kumar troubled the batters.

- Virat Kohli looked elegant and at his free-flowing best. He fell to a cut shot that was well timed but couldn't keep it down and hence found the fielder. KL Rahul looked fine for his 29 runs until he got injured and had to come off.

- Rishabh Pant began aggressively but was made to hop and jump against the short ball. Will the Aussie quicks take note?

- Yashasvi Jaiswal got a length that any young batter could have been foxed by.

Long story short, Indian batters have been tested early against bounce.

India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: Last evening at the WACA, Rishabh Pant took a leaf out of his Delhi Premier League experience and had a bowl at Jasprit Bumrah in the nets. Pant has bowled before – in the only DPL game that he played two months ago and to Shubman Gill ahead of the Bangladesh Tests. However, this time he switched to bowling some medium-pace. Bumrah thought it's a joke 'Kya mazaak chal raha hai?' he said, but Pant was adamant. The first ball, outside off, was well left by BOOM. There was plenty of banter before the face-off, so Pant decided to bowl the bouncer. What happened next? Find out in the video.

India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: There's still no clarity regarding Rohit Sharma's availability for the first Test. This could only mean one thing: HE IS OUT OF THE SERIES OPENER AT PERTH. The players have started practicing and there's still no sign of him. Better to let that ray of hope go. However, the Instagram handle 'team45ro' continues to share photos and videos of him training. Still, it doesn't imply that he'll be boarding the flight to Australia anytime soon. Heck, only 7 days remain for Border-Gavaskar Trophy to get underway.

India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: David Warner, who was in Brisbane for the 1st T20I between Pakistan and Australia is confident that India's batters would love to play on Australian wickets during the summer. Why? Because there's pace, there's bounce, there's carry and just overall, conditions being more conducive for batting. The slow turners of India during the New Zealand Tests gave their batters enough nightmares with no one from that batting order having a series to remember – perhaps Rishabh Pant was an exception. So from the spin-friendly wickets of Mumbai and Pune to the lightning quick Perth and then the day-night pink-ball Test in Adelaide, Warner reckons it's just what India needed.

India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: So in case you're wondering why there've been no further cricket updates, it's because the players have taken lunch. The break has stretched for almost an hour but finally reaching its conclusion. In the meantime, an interesting visual emerged as head coach Gautam Gambhir and India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah were seen having a long and intense chat. Perhaps some early takeaways. Bumrah will still bat, one gets the feeling, which will him tips about what to expect and what length to bowl to a batter. Well, not that he needs any assistance – Bumrah is that damn good himself – but it never hurts to take whatever little is coming your wayʔ

India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: We guess that's what Perth does, Makes a bowler like Hansie Cronje as effective as an Allan Donald. Nitish Reddy is not your Hansie Cronje type of bowler though – he has decent pace – but the Perth wicket has simply transformed him to a pace bowler. He generated unbelievable bounce, getting the ball to take off from a good-length area. India head coach Gautam Gambhir had nothing but praise for the all-rounder. I mean, when it came down to him and Shardul Thakur, Gambhir has no hesitations in giving Reddy the preference. But will India experiment with him on November 22? Only time will tell.

India vs India A Simulation Match Live Updates: That's how he plays. Rishabh Pant shows signs of aggression during his stay at the crease. Perhaps he is still in that practice zone, when he bowled to Jasprit Bumrah in the nets, firmly believing he can get him out. But Jokes aside, Pant would be disappointed, and the fans worried. He showed intent but it didn't last long as Pant was clean bowled by Nitish Reddy.These may be early days, but conditions in Perth have clearly taken the Indian batters by surprise. Then again, this is the WACA, a venue with a pitch that has terrorised visiting batters for decades. The Test match, however, will be played at the Optus Stadium, but Indian batters can't afford to take it lightly as the drop-in pitch will offer plenty of spice.