Siraj, Prasidh bowl at full tilt as India begin preparations in New Chandigarh

Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna bowled at full tilt for close to 25 minutes despite oppressive heat here on Wednesday as India’s preparations gathered pace ahead of the one off Test against Afghanistan.

The Test match begins here on Saturday and will be followed by a three-match ODI series.

With some questions being raised over the workload of bowlers after a two-month-long IPL season, Siraj’s intense spell in searing conditions indicated that the senior pacer was carrying no obvious fitness concerns.

Had he not been physically ready, it would have been difficult to sustain such effort under the scorching sun that is the hallmark of punishing summers in this part of the country.

The imposing 6-foot-5-inch right-arm fast bowler Gurnoor Brar also caught the eye during the session, extracting sharp bounce from a good length.

On at least two occasions, he induced outside edges from KL Rahul, who otherwise looked technically compact during his stint in the nets.

Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi Dar bowled in multiple phases and appeared steady, operating well within himself while maintaining his line and length.

One notable aspect of the session was the considerable amount of batting time allotted to left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, suggesting that the team management is keen to assess his all-round capabilities.

Dubey and his rival for the left-arm orthodox spinner’s slot, Manav Suthar, bowled in adjacent nets with head coach Gautam Gambhir closely observing their efforts.

All the specialist batters, including skipper Shubman Gill, spent quality time in the nets against the reserve bowlers, including Prince Yadav.

Fast bowler Mayank Yadav, who has endured multiple injury setbacks in recent years, was also present with the squad.

However, the Lucknow Super Giants speedster largely focused on fitness drills and conditioning work instead of an extended bowling stint.