In a huge relief for Australia ahead of the first Test against India, premier batsman Steve Smith returned to the nets and batted for some time to prove his fitness on Wednesday, erasing doubts over his participation in the historic first-ever day-night Test match between India and Australia on Thursday in Adelaide.
Smith’s fitness became a cause of concern after he missed a training session on Tuesday due to a stiff back. After doing a few stretching exercises and running drills, Smith had skipped the routine football session and headed straight to the dressing room in some discomfort. Australia Test captain Tim Paine, however said it was not a serious niggle and a day’s rest came as a “blessing in disguise” for the star.