Ex-IND coach claims Dravid and co. planning for Rohit, Kohli’s early dismissals | Cricket
As India gears up for the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2023, the national team is taking part in a closed-door training camp at Alur. The camp features the active participation of all 17 members of India’s squad, each player fine-tuning their game ahead of the continental event. Earlier this week, the crucial Yo-Yo fitness tests were conducted, with Shubman Gill emerging as the standout performer, achieving the highest score among the players. Notably, all the participants in the test comfortably surpassed the required threshold of 16.5.
The preparations intensified on Friday as the Indian stars delved into their primary training routines. On the subsequent day, Star Sports reported a notable development – Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill were observed batting in tandem. This pairing prompted intrigue and was subsequently addressed by former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar during Star Sports’ live coverage of India’s training session.
Bangar offered insights into the possible rationale behind the joint batting practice, suggesting that it simulated a match-like situation. Particularly noteworthy is Iyer’s participation, as the middle-order batsman is poised to make a comeback to the ODI team after a hiatus of nearly 7 months, having been sidelined due to a back injury.
Bangar suggested that India are preparing for a situation where its two star batters, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are dismissed early in the innings. While Rohit opens the batting alongside Gill, Kohli is the designated no.3. Interestingly, Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja – who is usually the no.6 batter in the Indian order – also batted together.
“You must have noticed that Shreyas and Gill batted together. I think it is in the anticipation where Rohit and Virat get dismissed early, Iyer and Gill will have to bat together. Or, where the no.4 batter is dismissed early and Virat Kohli is on the crease, and a left-hander is promoted to no.5, a provisional situation was created for that as well. See, players need to know about each other’s game. Yes, they’re playing for a long time but it’s good to see these combinations in practice sessions,” Bangar told Star Sports.
India begin campaign against Pakistan
Team India will kickstart their campaign in the Asia Cup 2023 against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2. The two teams could potentially meet thrice in the tournament, given they qualify for the Super Fours, and the final.
