Follow UsWith two days to go before the 2024 T20 World Cup's Super Bowl, the entire Indian squad, along with the reserves, was out in Cantiague Park for a training session.
Two days after thumping Ireland on Wednesday (June 5th), all the Indian players spent at least some time on their skillsets ahead of Sunday's marquee clash against Pakistan.
Virat Kohli spent the longest time in the nets after registering his lowest score (1) in a T20 World Cup on Wednesday. Batting in a net next to him, the batter who looked most at ease was Hardik Pandya. While Kohli first faced the throwdown specialists, Hardik faced the India regulars and seemed comfortable off both the front foot and back.
Kohli then took Hardik’s place and entertained himself by using his feet against Kuldeep and also attempting an odd reverse sweep against him
The only jittery moment arrived when Kohli’s opening partner, captain Rohit Sharma, took his place to face the two throwdown specialists: the right-armer Dayanand Garani and Sri Lanka's Nuwan Seneviratne, who had the maximum workload on the day given his role of replicating left-arm pacers. Pakistan have two such behemoths in their ranks.
Rohit walking to have a hit was a sign that he had recovered from the blow to his shoulder from Josh Little's bowling in the previous game. While he struck two sixes consecutively after that blow, Rohit retired hurt after completing his half-century.
The Indian captain survived another injury scare today (June 7th) when a rising ball thudded onto the fingers of his left hand. There was some initial discomfort, but Rohit continued to bat for a while, switching ends at the pitch he was batting on to avoid uneven bounce from a length.
It must be stated that the pitches at the practice facilities in New York are as spicy as those in the stadiums. Even the South African batters have opted not to face their own pacers during their sessions.
Group A, of which India and Pakistan are a part, is becoming the most interesting of the five groups. After Pakistan’s surprise loss to the United States on Thursday, Canada - who lost their opening game to the USA - humbled Ireland by 12 runs to keep their prospects alive. With the USA breathing down their neck, Pakistan’s clash against India will likely be a do-or-die encounter for Babar Azam’s side.