Xtra Time Web Desk: The Indian cricket team underwent a rigorous training camp for the last five days at the KSCA facility in Alur before they travel to Sri Lanka for Asia Cup 2023 which gets underway from August 30. Watch the video for more details.
The camp began with the medical check-ups and Yo Yo tests at the National Cricket Academy on August 25. Star Indian batter Virat Kohli scored 17.2 in the YoY o tests while Shubman Gill was the fittest among the Indian cricketers.
Day 2 involved outdoor training at the Karnataka State Cricket Association facility at Alur on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The most interesting aspect was the presence of 12-13 net bowlers in the likes of Umran Malik, Aniket Chaudhary, Yash Dayal, Rahul Chahar, Kuldeep Sen, Sai Kishore, Shams Mulani to name a few. Captain Rohit Sharma batted alongside Shubman Gill first in the nets followed by Virat Kohli and a fit-again Shreyas Iyer. It looks like they will form the top four in the batting order for the first match against Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy.
Day 3 saw match simulation with batters given targets. The talking point on Day 3 was Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma spending a long time facing the likes of Aniket Chaudhary. Shreyas and Shubman too batted against the tall left-arm pacer from Rajasthan. This was to prepare well against Shaheen Shah Afridi. All the batters also faced a long time facing the spinners in order to prepare well against Pak leg-spinner Shadab Khan and left arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz. KL Rahul was seen practice wicketkeeping for a long time with fielding coach TP Dileep.
Day 4 presented an interesting visuals of India captain Rohit Sharma batting with Shreyas Iyer during match simulation. With KL Rahul still in doubts for the first game against Pakistan, Indian team management is trying out a few options. If Rahul is not available then Ishan Kishan may be asked to open with Shubman Gill with Rohit going in at No 3 followed by Virat Kohli at No 4. Left arm pacer Yash Dayal was seen bowling for a long period at the Indian batters.
Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma are three openers at India’s disposal. Head Coach Rahul Dravid is trying different combinations. Having Rohit Sharma at No 4 with Virat Kohli retaining his spot could solve one problem until KL Rahul comes back. Interestingly, Shubman Gill too batted with Shreyas Iyer. It is a hint that KL Rahul is likely to miss the opening clash against Pakistan, making way for Ishan Kishan.
The Men in Blue had their final practice session on Tuesday as they will fly out to Colombo on August 30.