On Tuesday (November 18), Team India arranged an optional training session for the upcoming India vs South Africa 2nd Test match at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. Glimpses of the training session have been surfacing on social media platforms. 

South Africa is currently leading the 2-match Test series by 1-0 after the Eden Gardens Test match, as they defeated India by 30 runs in a low-scoring match. Despite a target of only 124 runs, the home team batters failed miserably and allowed the visiting team to take the lead. The second and the final match of the series will be a do-or-die assignment for the Men in Blue. To level the series, they will have to win the match. Otherwise, another loss or draw will secure the trophy for the South Africa cricket team, who are the defending champions of the World Test Championship (WTC). 

During the optional training session, Washington Sundar, who was mostly utilized as a batter in the previous match, came to bowl first in the nets. Sundar, mostly known for his spin bowling abilities, was used mostly as a batter in Kolkata. For batting practice, Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal were present in the field as well. Dhruv Jurel spent a good amount of time working on batting skills. He looked well during the batting practice. 

Read More:  Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer injured — Will Rohit Sharma make a captaincy comeback in IND vs SA ODI series?

Optional trainning session of team India ahead of IND vs SA 2nd Test match

India begins its optional practice session at the Eden Gardens.

Washington Sundar, who was largely unused with the ball in the first Test, is the first to bowl in the nets.

Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal about to have a bat. @sportstarweb pic.twitter.com/uPyPhUTc4f

— Pranay Rajiv (@iraiva4716) November 18, 2025

Team India is expected to make some changes in the playing combination during the second Test match in Guwahati. Shubman Gill is uncertain for the match. If he is unable to play, then the team management will have to find a suitable option to fill up the void. In place of Gill, Sudharsan or Padikkal can be a good option. The India vs. South Africa 2nd Test match is scheduled to be played from November 22. 

On the turning track of Eden Gardens, India deployed 4 spinners—Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar. Will Gautam Gambhir and Co. follow the same formula in the second game? It'll be interesting to see, as the 4-spinner combination did not work according to plans properly.