Ishant passes fitness test to be on track for Australia trip

Veteran paceman Ishant Sharma has bowled at full pace in India and is on track to be passed fit for what would be his fifth Test tour of Australia.

Ishant played one Indian Premier League match then returned home in September because of an abdominal muscle tear, extending what has been an injury-cursed year.

India remain hopeful that Ishant and star batsman Rohit Sharma, who helped Mumbai win the IPL final then flew to India to continue his recovery from a hamstring injury, will be able to take part in the four-match Vodafone Test Series that begins on December 17.

Ishant has provided the greatest indication yet that he will be cleared to hop on a flight.

The 32-year-old bowled a couple of long spells at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, coming in off the long run as chairman of selectors Sunil Joshi, medicos and India's academy coach Rahul Dravid watched on.

Ishant, provided he pulls up well from the session, may soon be heading to Sydney.

India have a red-ball tour game on December 6-8 then a pink-ball clash on December 11-13, both against Australia A in matches that will be livestreamed by cricket.com.au meaning Sharma could yet get some match practice in before the Test series.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami headline the visitors' potent pace attack, having claimed a combined 37 wickets during India's maiden Test series win in Australia during 2018-19.

But Sharma knows local conditions better than any other player in the touring party and his arrival would be a big boost to India's chances of a series win.

The lanky fast bowler made headlines around the world as a teenager tearaway in 2008, when he worked over Ricky Ponting in a fiery spell at the WACA.

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has posted a clip of hamstrung wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha batting in the nets during a session in western Sydney.

Saha, who India coach Ravi Shastri recently declared was the "best gloveman in the world", missed the IPL finals after tweaking both hamstrings but India expect he will be fit for the first Test.

Indian report that Bumrah and Shami are both likely to be rested at different stages of the limited-overs series.

There is no suggestion either quick is carrying an injury but team management want to try to ensure they are physically fresh and ready for big workloads during the four-Test series.

Vodafone Test Series v India 2020-21

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

First Test: December 17-21, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT