Cliff Notes – Fun and banter but no drop in intensity at India training
- Hardik Pandya’s light-hearted comments during a fielding drill highlighted the team’s camaraderie, despite a few dropped catches under pressure.
- The training session was marked by a mix of intense batting practice and playful banter, with players engaging in various drills while maintaining a competitive spirit.
- As India enjoyed a day off, Pakistan faced a demanding training schedule ahead of their crucial match against UAE, reflecting the contrasting atmospheres within the two camps.
Fun and banter but no drop in intensity at India training
“Great fielders don’t dive,” Hardik Pandya quipped after he plucked a screamer that fielding coach T Dilip had drilled to his left. Behind him was a makeshift goalpost he was meant to protect. Each player got five attempts before the next man stepped up. It was a penalty shootout of sorts pretending to be fielding drill.
Things changed quickly after that. Three rockets came his way low and flat and were all dropped; not even dives could help his cause. Dilip read out his score with mock seriousness as Tilak Varma came out to “keep goal”.
Soon the chatter switched to Telugu, with Arshdeep Singh turning part-time commentator with his chants of “chala bagundi” (well done) every time Tilak hurled himself around to pull off a save.
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Then came Jasprit Bumrah’s turn. As he walked up, he couldn’t resist a wisecrack: “Point again, coach?” he asked looking back at journalists recording his every move. “Reel content coming for you guys!” This was all a nod to the catch he had taken at point to dismiss Saim Ayub off the first legitimate ball in Sunday’s match.
The fielding session reflected the mood in the India camp: lively, light-hearted, yet underpinned by an intensity, which was in show again later as they took the nets.
The Tuesday evening temperatures may have relented slightly since the start of the Asia Cup, from 40 degrees Celsius to 35-36, but that didn’t mean there was respite for the team, since their training session was lengthened to over four hours on back-to-back days.
The batters who hadn’t had a hit in the two matches so far – Sanju Samson, Axar Patel and Hardik – spent extended periods at the nets, before the top order took centre stage, hitting balls long and hard, into the trees and beyond at the ICC Academy in Dubai. To the extent that you wondered if anyone was even keeping track of where the balls were going.
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Through it all, coach Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate looked on from behind the nets, watching each batter go through their drill.
Rinku Singh, in particular, endured a searching examination, beaten time and again by the pace and bounce of Harshit Rana and Arshdeep. The test grew sterner. Starting off with a short run before gradually cranking up to full tilt, Bumrah showed Rinku no mercy. While anything on the pads was dismissed, Rinku was repeatedly troubled by hard lengths and seam movement. He finally yanked his gloves off, and did bouts of timed sprints to cool off after his batting stint.
By the time India’s session wound down, they had gone through an entire range of activities amid banter and fun. It ended with the captain Suryakumar Yadav cutting a birthday cake some members of India’s travelling media had organised, with Kuldeep Yadav and a few members of the support staff joining in.
Salman Agha will hope to bounce back after two single-digit scores AFP/Getty Images
At the adjacent ground, the mood was quite different, with Pakistan avoiding any media personnel gathered around the periphery of the ropes.
Coach Mike Hesson did all the talking in the team huddle, before the players dispersed for a game of football, did some catching, and then went into the nets. They may have chosen to train from 8pm to 11pm, possibly to avoid the heat, but that didn’t make it any less punishing.
As they began their centre-wicket nets, Hesson monitored Ayub’s back-foot play, watching him keep his shots down – unlike his dismissal against India looking to flay Hardik over point. Ayub, incidentally, has more wickets than balls faced in the Asia Cup so far, and spent considerable time with Hesson in his ear. There were extra drills for Mohammad Haris, while Haris Rauf, seemingly hungry to get a look-in after warming the bench in the first two games, let the ball rip.
As the curtains came down on another intense evening at the ICC Academy, India announced a day off on Wednesday. Pakistan had no such luxuries, because they were to face UAE in a must-win game.