India, Feb. 4 -- India won't spell it out in a press release, but the message from that practice match was loud enough to rattle the dressing room: Ishan Kishan is being actively trialled as an opener, and that squeezes Sanju Samson from the top-order conversation.

Kishan's 53 off 20 - and the decision to retire him out to give others time in the middle - wasn't about the scorecard. It was about intent. India used the warm-up exactly the way teams do when they're close to finalising their XI: test combinations, set roles, and see who fits the game plan without forcing the puzzle pieces.

And the combination they chose first was telling: Kishan opened with Abhishek Sharma.

Sanju Samson's recent opening run against New Zealand was, bluntl...