A focussed Mohammed Shami spent considerable time with bowling coach Morne Morkel as a full-strength Indian team started its training in earnest ahead of its Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh at the picturesque ICC Academy practice ground here on Sunday. With the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) strictly in place, there was no question of an optional session and right from skipper Rohit Sharma to the youngest Harshit Rana, the entire squad was present where Shami's routines were interesting.

Having recently made his international comeback against England in both T20Is and ODIs, the stretchable knee caps did not go unnoticed as he first tried to get a feel of the conditions by bowling a few deliveries with a short run-up. He looked gingerly in his initial strides even as others engaged in their physical drills, while a few others engaged in some fun and games activity aimed at improving anticipation and decision-making. Before the batters entered the nets, Shami was trying to adjust his length and walked up towards the batter's end in the net with bowling coach Morne Morkel in tow. From a distance, it seemed that he was discussing the ideal length as he stood on the popping crease at the batter's end.