India hit Chepauk ahead of World Cup opener
On a day when gloomy skies provided no respite from characteristic Chennai humidity, India’s players must have simply been relieved to not have rain interrupt proceedings. Having twiddled their thumbs in frustration over the past week with both their warm-up games – against England in Guwahati and against Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram – washed out, Thursday was an opportunity for a full-fledged training session three days away from their World Cup opener against Australia. There was rain in Chennai too on Wednesday night, but it is unlikely to hamper the marquee clash or its build-up.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma (L) and Ravichandran Ashwin attend a practice session ahead of their 2023 ICC men’s cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match against Australia(AFP)
And so, the Indian players – in new training gear comprising bright orange t-shirts and black shorts – made their way to the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday afternoon. Half an hour of warm-ups followed, a few players taking laps around the ground and some others playing a game of football. Once they were warmed up, it was time to hit the nets with the singular aim of sharpening their skills with bat and ball.
We’re now on WhatsApp. Click to join.
It was only an optional session, but India sweated it out for a little more than three hours with all the players barring opener Shubman Gill in attendance. These sessions are essentially about getting into the zone, simulating match scenarios and visualising how to react in the heat of the battle.
That was the sense you got, with no panic in the ranks about their abandoned warm-up games putting them at a disadvantage. If anything, they may see it as a necessary breather before the unrelenting routine of the next six weeks.
“We were happy to get those days off,” Rohit Sharma said in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. “We have been playing a lot of cricket of late. That gives us an understanding of where everyone’s at and what we need to do as a team. Overall, we are quite happy with how we’ve come into this tournament. We’ve played a lot of games and played some good cricket as well. The guys are looking really good at this point of time.”
In special focus at Thursday’s session was Shreyas Iyer. The 28-year-old had three separate batting stints, notably working on playing the short ball in his second hit. Known to be susceptible against the bouncer, Iyer had a 20-minute stint where coach Rahul Dravid, standing just a few metres away, smashed balls with a tennis racquet into his body. Iyer had to pull or weave out of the way repeatedly. Just to keep Iyer on his toes, Dravid would occasionally hit one low and outside his off-stump.
Having slammed a 90-ball 105 against Australia in the ODI series last week, Iyer looks likely to slot in at No. 4 in the opening game. It may mean Ishan Kishan, despite being a left-handed batter in prime form, being consigned to the bench.
Not that the training session provided definitive clues on the playing eleven. Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin were the first players to take guard, facing a mixture of throwdowns, net bowlers and India’s specialists. Bumrah and Ashwin had fairly long batting stints, which is certainly a pointer to India’s emphasis on their bowlers contributing with the bat. Unlike Sharma and Virat Kohli who largely hit the ball along the ground, Bumrah and Ashwin were adventurous, not missing an opportunity to step down and play the lofted shot.
Once Ashwin was done with batting, he toiled for a couple of hours with the ball. He bowled to Kohli, Iyer and KL Rahul among others, earnest in his endeavour to find the right lengths even in surroundings that he knows like the back of his hand. Bumrah was happy with his batting workout, limiting his bowling workload to a minimum.
The session ended with Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya, all-rounders who form the fulcrum of this unit, approaching their batting like the slog overs of a one-day game. They went for their shots, the contact of bat on ball producing a resounding thud that will be music to the ears of Indian fans.
