Cliff Notes – Samson or Jitesh? No answers yet as India begin their Asia Cup training
- Jasprit Bumrah showcased his fitness with intense drills, while Shubman Gill provided light-hearted commentary, highlighting the team’s camaraderie during training.
- Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma engaged in separate batting sessions, both vying for a spot in the playing XI, with Samson appearing to manage his workload after recent matches.
- The training session featured a mix of fitness drills and batting practice, with the team focusing on building momentum ahead of their opening fixture against UAE.
Samson or Jitesh? No answers yet as India begin their Asia Cup training
“Stiff legs,” Shubman Gill teased, as Jasprit Bumrah darted around the ICC Academy Oval – sprinting, diving and cutting off angles, much to the delight of fielding coach T Dilip. Bumrah jokingly waved Gill away as he continued his drills.
Watching and clapping from afar was Sanju Samson, meditatively cross-legged after 30 minutes of batting in shirt-soaking humidity. It was well past 7pm, but the temperature was still hovering around 38 degrees Celsius.
Samson was one of many India batters who had multiple stints at the nets. And much to the curiosity of those gathered, his stints came alongside those of Jitesh Sharma, with whom he will likely compete for a spot during India’s playing XI in the Asia Cup 2025. Jitesh, for what it’s worth, also got through a proper keeping workout – catches, drills, footwork – while Samson watched on.
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Perhaps Jitesh was making up for lost time. His most recent bout of competitive cricket was in June, at the Vidarbha Pro T20, soon after a memorable IPL-winning campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Maybe Samson was saving his legs after playing four games back-to-back only last week at the Kerala cricket League. Either way, Friday’s vibe was more first day of school than selection day.
Long before they got to the nets, the team got through warm-up stretches, shuttle runs, high knees and soft throws, with trainer Adrian Le Roux often reminding them: “75% intensity!” (though Bumrah seemed to ignore that memo when he steamed in, full throttle, to Gill in the nets a little later).
Jasprit Bumrah has a chat with Shubman Gill Getty Images
After the fitness drills, all the batters (and Varun Chakravarthy) spent extensive time – upwards of 30 minutes – alternating between nets. A ball after being smashed through the covers off a half-volley, Bumrah bowled the perfect nip-backer to beat Gill. The cat-and-mouse game between the two was just getting started.
Gill batted alongside Suryakumar Yadav, who was searching for his rhythm following a spell away recuperating from sports hernia surgery, and Jitesh. Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma had come out before them, armed with several bats, each seemingly meatier than the other, and went hammer and tongs.
Alongside Bumrah, there was Hardik Pandya, – hair coloured blonde – who bowled 20 minutes non-stop at high pace. Also noticeable from afar was the attention India gave to Shivam Dube and Abhishek, the bowlers.
While Abhishek bowled a mixture of traditional left-arm spin, wrist spin and his backspinner, bowling coach Morne Morkel kept a close eye on Dube’s action and delivery stride.
Except for Bumrah and Hardik, both of whom went full-tilt, India rotated the other fast bowlers. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana were coming off a Duleep Trophy fixture in Bengaluru last week, and spent more time doing fitness and mobility drills than bowling.
Away from the nets, it was a gruelling workout even for those behind the scenes. The local liaison manager had already made multiple trips ferrying water, fruits, and ice-bath supplies. Each time, he had to take a long detour because Hong Kong and Oman were playing on the main ground.
Unlike during the Champions Trophy, when a few hundred fans were believed to have crammed themselves into a small area meant for 40 to watch the team train, barricades were up again, but this time there were barely a handful around when the Indians trained from 5pm to shortly before 9pm. All that prep for nothing.
And just like that, the first day was done. Not too intense, not too revealing, but enough to shake off the rust, and build some momentum before next week’s opening fixture against UAE.