India resume training ahead of South Africa clash in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
India resume training ahead of South Africa clash in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Melbourne: Following a day’s break, India got back to training at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Wednesday. India began their ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 campaign with 76-run victory over Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. They travelled to Melbourne on Monday and opted for a break on Tuesday. India’s next game is against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 22, 2015. LIVE SCORE: India vs South Africa ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
India arrived in the afternoon and started off with some football for warm-ups. It was a light-hearted game with Virat Kohli opening the scoring for his side with a good goal. After that, they started off their practice at the centre wicket. Coach Duncan Fletcher had the team in a huddle and they had a long word with them before the group dispersed for practice. One set headed to the centre wicket, while the other set of batsmen went to the nets to face some throwdowns and the net bowlers. India-Pakistan hangover and drive from Adelaide to Melbourne
Surprisingly, Akshar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja started practicing their batting on the wicket with the fast bowlers bowling for them. The eyes were on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who did not play the last game, and there have been questions over his fitness. He did bowl few deliveries, but did not have an extended run. Perhaps, the team management are still waiting for him to be fully fit so that he can go full throttle. India rest on Tuesday in cool Melbourne ahead of match against South Africa
The batsmen took their turns and were batting on the centre wicket. A net was placed on the leg-side to stop the big shots, with the players keeping their equipment on the other side. Whenever a pair of left-handers batted, they changed ends. In practice, the batsmen continued to play their big shots, with some of the local net bowlers bearing the brunt of their fury. MS Dhoni, the skipper, his some big shots on the day. The local left-arm spinner was sent past the boundary on numerous occasions. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also tried to bat with authority. India vs Pakistan, World Cup 2015: Similarities with the last 5 encounters
The batsmen were caught a few times, but their intent on the day was clear. It was reminiscent of their practice session at the St Peter’s College Ground in Adelaide ahead of the big game against Pakistan. The Indian team looks a relaxed bunch as a lot of the pressure has gone off after beating Pakistan. But, the big test is against South Africa, a team they have never beaten in the World Cup. South Africa had also practiced earlier in the day and will train on Thursday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), while India will take a breather tomorrow and return to the Junction Oval on Friday.