India in practice mode: Full team, full steam 48 hours before Bangladesh tie

Team India at the practice session (Pic: AFP)

During any tournament, the Indian team's net session is an optional one in between the games due to hectic travel schedule but keeping the foot firmly on the pedal, Rohit Sharma's men haven't let the intensity down one bit during the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 where they take on Bangladesh on Thursday.

In fact, if one looks at the pattern of Indian team's training schedule, the team is practising full steam on match day minus two - that is 48 hours prior to game day.

Whether Chennai, Delhi or Ahmedabad, the full team comes for the session two days prior to a game but on the match eve, normally the reserves, who need a bit more time in the nets, come with the support staff.

On the day, even skipper Rohit Sharma rolled his arm over for some time but quickly retreated after getting smashed all over by Hardik Pandya.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have already played three games in a space of six days and will against play two in a matter of four days.

Bangladesh's current ODI team isn't as good as the one that played in the World Cup in 2015.

And hence, it would be interesting to see if team management thinks about giving Mohammed Shami a go against Shakib Al Hasan's men considering the match after that will be played at the seamer-friendly Dharamsala against India's bogey team New Zealand.

Also Read: History repeats itself!

However, it might well boil down to measure of their workload and also if the two frontline pacers want rest. All the three pacers bowled full steam at the evening nets on the day.

India's top order batters Rohit, Shubman Gill and Kohli were the first to hit the nets with the team's fast bowling attack in operation which also included all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

Among all the top order batters, Kohli remained in the next for the longest time while Pandya unleashed some powerful hits, including some spectacular shots that landed into the stands, over the cover region.

Ravichandran Ashwin bowled to Ravindra Jadeja when the next set of batters got into the nets, while Shreyas Iyer faced throwdown specialists and in the adjacent nets, Ishan Kishan, who played in the first two games against Australia and Afghanistan, faced Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav in tandem.

Also Read: Bangladesh are no pushovers

India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul did fielding drills before he padded up to bat, and found Kohli back in the nearby nets facing throwdowns while the others such as Gill dispersed for their fielding drills. In fact, having gone through some catching practice, Gill returned to bat again and even attacked Kishan with a few big hits.

Towards the end of the three-hour long session, batting coach Vikram Rathour gave throwdowns to Suryakumar Yadav for an extended period in which the explosive batter looked to unleash his strokes, but on occasions mistimed them too. Having found an edge off Suryakumar's bat off a short ball, Rathour even celebrated the dismissal with his arms held high.

Earlier in the day, having lost two games in a row, Bangladesh also had an extended full-fledged session as they trained for a little more than three hours in the afternoon heat with captain Shakib Al Hasan in attendance.

The senior Bangladesh batter Mushfiqur Rahim, who has hit two fifties in the last two matches, also had a good run in the nets hitting the bowlers into the stands more often than not.

(With inputs from agencies)