Xtra Time Web Desk: It was an unbelievable atmosphere at the Barabati stadium as it was almost a full house just to witness the Indian team train. It was a sheer joy for the fans as they could watch the likes of Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Umran Malik, Shreyas Iyer and others practice ahead of the second T20I against South Africa on Sunday. The reason the Indian team management allowed the fans to watch the practice session was because of a request from Odisha Cricket Association. There has been a massive excitement amongst the fans as international cricket returned to Odisha after three years. The tickets are already sold out for Sunday.
The Indian players preferred training under the flood lights. It was an optional training session though. The packed house was entertained by captain Rishabh Pant and vice-captain Hardik Pandya when they were seen practicing big hitting in the middle. Loud roars were heard as the balls landed in the stands.
Young pace sensation Umran Malik too was cheered by the fans. The young fast bowler from Jammu has been bowling his heart out at the nets. It is not expected Umran will get a nod in Sunday’s second T20I match or not.
Meanwhile during the practice session, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya were amongst the first ones to begin batting practice on the centre wicket, adjacent to the match pitch. They were followed by Shreyas Iyer, who will be aiming to put up a good score in the South Africa series. Part of the warm session also included Umran Malik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal and others.
South Africa is leading the five match T20I series 1-0. The Proteas rode on half-centuries from David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen, as they chased down a huge target of 212 in the opening T20I of the series.