Xtra Time Web Desk: Team India strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai has been working overtime to get Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur fully fit ahead of the ICC World Test Championship final 2023. Both Shardul and Umesh have had niggles during the IPL 2023.
The BCCI on Friday uploaded a video on its Twitter handle in which Shardul and Umesh can be seen part of a fun game along with Axar Patel and net bowler Akash Deep. Both Shardul and Umesh started bowling at the nets at the Spitfire ground in Canterbury, Kent. Mohammed Siraj has also joined the training session along with Ravichandran Ashwin.
The Indian team has been training at the Kent County grounds since reaching UK. It is Team India Head Coach Rahul Dravid’s idea to have a short camp at the county where he has previously played. Once the other members of the test squad joins, there will be an intra-squad match as well. The Indian team will travel to London on June 3.
The first batch of the Indian test squad are already in UK. Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav along with the team’s support staff led by Rahul Dravid reached London on Tuesday. Net bowlers Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep and Aniket Chaudhary were also part of the first batch.
Cheteshwar Pujara, currently leading Sussex in the County Championship, will join the Indian squad later in the week to be a part of the preparations.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Mohammad Shami, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja and K S Bharat will reach London after the IPL 2023 Final on May 28.
India’s squad for WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).