When the team got to the ground for their 9:30am training sessions, a quick speech from Virat Kohli got them all pumped up. The former India skipper spoke to the team for roughly 10 minutes before the squad got straight into their fielding sessions. The big difference from Adelaide though was the heat.

It was only 26°C but the sun was harsh and if the weather remains that way, then the bowlers won’t have an easy time in the middle. That is perhaps why it was nice to see Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj pushing themselves through a long 30-minute session in the nets.

The duo has to manage its workload as its presence is vital for India in the series. Both were focussed and proactive with Bumrah even offering advice to Nitish Reddy as the session got underway.

But a net session can be so much yet it can be so little at the same time. For example, skipper Rohit Sharma faced the new ball in the nets on Thursday.

KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal initially started in the nets before Sharma took over from the former after completing his fielding practice on the ground. He faced all of Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep with the new ball, something he did not do in the lead up to the second Test in Adelaide.

But Rahul then returned to the nets later in the session, facing a newish ball alongside the likes of fellow middle-order batter Virat Kohli. So, does that mean a change in the batting order?

Then again, Akash Deep bowling with the two main pacers might indicate that he will finally get a game. Harshit Rana was bowling in the adjacent nets but Deep clearly looked sharper and more on point.

Bounce will be a factor at Brisbane but the team will need to decide whether it wants greater batting depth, which might lean towards playing Washington Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin.

The last time the Indian team played at the Gabba, Washington had scored a brilliant 62 in the first innings and followed it up with a vital 22 in the second innings.

There could also be the option of playing four pacers, something that Australia are said to be considering. Nathan Lyon bowled just one over in the Adelaide Test and with Scott Boland also in good form, four pacers could work out for the hosts.

Kohli, as usual, had a long, intense session. He was constantly trying to get things right, having conversations with assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate while trying to make sure he has a handle on how exactly how he is reacting to certain kinds of deliveries.

Drama of a different kind

The Australia nets were witness to drama of a different kind when pacer Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc were whisked away in a van after the fielding session.

Hazlewood had missed the Adelaide Test with a side strain and there was initially talk that there might be a complication. But Cricket Australia later explained the pair were heading to Allan Border Field so they could bowl off their full run-ups. They were joined by Josh Inglis and Queensland Bulls player Lachlan Hearne in the nets.

Having gotten through a 45-minute session, the focus will now be on how well he recovers. Given the heat, though, Australia will want Mitch Marsh to chip in with his share of the overs. “We had a really clear plan before the series started,” said Marsh on Thursday. “I didn’t bowl as much as I would have liked to in the lead-up to the series, but our medical staff and Ronnie (coach Andrew McDonald) and Patty were really clear on my lead-up. I trusted that.

“I haven’t had to bowl too much so far but my body is feeling really good … right now it’s feeling as good as it has felt.”