NEW DELHI: With the shoulder injury that kept Anil Kumble out of the Mohali Test all but healed, the Indian Test skipper is all set to be fit for the potentially series-deciding third match against Australia, senior batsman Rahul Dravid said here on Sunday.
In a close to two-hour training session at the Ferozeshah Kotla, Kumble rolled his arm over for a while before padding up for some batting practice as well.
The Indian camp is optimistic of their regular Test captain's return to the side for the match starting October 29.
"Kumble practised today. He bowled and even batted. The physio is positive about his fitness. We are optimistic about him playing here in the third Test," Dravid said.
Kumble missed the Mohali Test due to the shoulder injury he had picked up in the first Test at Bangalore.
The Ferozeshah Kotla has been a happy hunting ground for Kumble, who has a 10-wicket haul in an innings at this ground.
India's training session this afternoon was a relaxed affair and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan didn't bowl after almost 40 minutes of fielding practice.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also took it easy, bowling just a couple of overs.
"Zaheer just took a break...no particular reason for him not bowling today. Tomorrow, he will bowl a long spell at the nets. Same with Harbhajan, he had slight pain in the toe but nothing serious. Both of them will bowl longer tomorrow," Dravid said.
Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir took turns to get a few hits on the opening day of the team's practice but stand-in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni preferred to bowl a while.
Dravid said the dressing room was bubbling with energy after the 320-run win in Mohali but a few grey areas did come up for discussion during a team meeting this morning.
"The atmosphere in the team is very good and positive. It was good to get a break after two Tests. We had a team meeting where we discussed our plans."
"Some red flags and pitfalls were also discussed. A couple of days' of good practice and we will be ready," he said.
