Coach Gautam Gambhir to rejoin India’s tour ahead of second Test

India head coach Gautam Gambhir will rejoin the team on Tuesday after a brief return to India for personal reasons. He missed India’s two-day match against Prime Minister's XI in Australia over the weekend, which was reduced to a 50-over game due to rain. India won the match by six wickets, with Shubman Gill scoring an unbeaten 50* and Harshit Rana taking 4/44 with the ball.

During Gambhir's absence, coaching staff members Abhishek Nayar, Ryan ten Doeschate, and Morne Morkel took charge of training and the match in Canberra. With Gambhir’s return, the focus shifts to team selection, particularly with the impending availability of key players.

India's opening Test against Australia saw some challenges, with the team initially struggling on the first day but bouncing back to win by 295 runs. The absence of Rohit Sharma, who missed the match due to the birth of his second child, and Shubman Gill, who was sidelined with a hand injury, opened up spots in the playing XI.

Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel filled in, and KL Rahul was promoted to open in Rohit’s place. Rahul responded with a solid 26 in the first innings and an impressive 77 in the second.

With Rohit returning for the second Test and Gambhir back to oversee the team, the coaching staff will need to make key decisions about the batting lineup ahead of the pink-ball match in Adelaide. India currently leads the series 1-0.