Team India took part in a three-hour practice session on the eve of their T20 World Cup warm-up match against Bangaldesh in New York on Saturday. India captain Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya all batted in the nets, while spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and star pacer Jasprit Bumrah also got the chance to pad up and swing their arms. Shubman Gill, who is one of the four travelling reserves, also batted in the nets with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube fulfilled the bowling duties.
Dube, who had struggled with his batting form in the latter phase of the IPL, did not get the chance to bowl much during the recently-concluded tournament. In a video uploaded by Star Sports, India captain Rohit was seen giving instructions to Dube on where to bowl in such conditions.
While Rohit was busy having an animated chat with Dube, star all-rounder and vice-captain Hardik Pandya was also seen having a discussion with batting coach Vikram Rathour.
Hardik had poor season in the IPL as he scored just 211 runs in 14 matches. While he took 11 wickets, his economy rate was above 10 runs per over.
Dube, on the other hand, bowled just one over in the IPL as his bowling overs were reduced by the Impact Player rule.
Meanwhile, star batter Virat Kohli was absent from the practice session as he is yet to arrive in New York. Kohli had reportedly ask for a break from the BCCI, with the reports also claiming that he might miss the warm-up match.
Kohli is coming off a stellar season in the Indian Premier League and will be looking to carry his form into the World Cup. He ended the season with 741 runs from 15 matches and won the Orange Cap.
In the warm-up game against Bangladesh, it is expected that all players, sans Kohli, will be given a go as it doesn’t have an official status.
Kohli is expected to touch down some time before the practice game, and it is unlikely that he will get any game time due to the jet lag.
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