Shamik Chakrabarty in Dubai
Spring is proving to be confusing in Dubai. The winter veil is yet to be lifted, while the summer is trying to make occasional inroads. The weather is good enough to keep one in high spirits. And after back-to-back wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan, and a place in the Champions Trophy semi-finals, the Indian players looked chirpy at the nets.
Where has the excitement gone?
Around 6 pm local time on Wednesday, the Indian team bus reached the ICC Academy. A full training session was on the cards and everyone, bar Shubman Gill, was present. Only a few hangers-on took notice. This was quite in contrast to the India-Pakistan game, when the team arrivals for practice sessions were celebrated with cheers, selfies and requests for autographs.
The atmosphere around the Champions Trophy here, at least the ‘dead rubber’ between India and New Zealand on March 2, gives a post-Vijayadashami feel. Tickets for the India-Pakistan game were reportedly resold at seven times their original price – AED 500 tickets going for AED 3,500 via resellers. With both India and New Zealand in the semi-finals now, there will be few takers for Sunday’s game. Tickets for that match start from AED 257. A 25,000-capacity stadium would only be partially full.
Pant to get a game?
Rishabh Pant looked a bit downbeat as he alighted from the bus. “Tabiyat kaisa hai (how is your health)?” asked a fan. “Better,” replied the wicketkeeper-batsman. Pant couldn’t attend his team’s pre-match nets session before the Pakistan game, as he was down with a viral fever. And all along, he has been watching the proceedings from the sidelines.
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The team management has been clear in its communication that KL Rahul is India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman in the 50-over format. At the same time, head coach Gautam Gambhir has urged Pant “to be ready” when he is called upon. The southpaw looked to be in good hitting form at the nets. Will he get a game on Sunday? The think-tank would be tempted to rotate against New Zealand. Just to inform, Gill is down with a viral.
Rohit is OK
Rohit Sharma didn’t take part in strenuous nets activities on Wednesday. Don’t worry, the skipper is OK. He felt his hamstring a bit during the game against Pakistan, left the field for a while but came back soon, and fielded and batted without any visible discomfort. After the match, Shreyas Iyer confirmed that Rohit had no fitness issues. It was a bit cooling-off for the captain yesterday. It’s unlikely that he will sit out of the New Zealand game.
Kohli, the footballer
In fun-football that kicks off India’s practice sessions, Virat Kohli invariably is the best of the lot. Earlier, it used to be MS Dhoni, by a distance. Now, the mantle has passed on to Kohli. His first touch looked good enough to earn him a trial at an ISL club. On a serious note, the former India captain spent a lot of time on his back-foot game at the nets. Maybe, with Mitchell Santner in mind, he also faced a lot of deliveries from Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
An eye on Pakistan
Practice done, the Indian players and support staff were eager to find out what was happening in Lahore. Afghanistan pulled off a humdinger against England and if the Asian wild cards beat Australia in their next match, they will have a serious chance of meeting India in the semi-finals. Dubai boasts a strong Afghanistan fanbase. Around 150,000 Afghans reside in the Emirates. An India versus Afghanistan semi-final will ensure a full house.
Also Read: Kohli’s Crunching Pulls, Bazooka Hits and the Onus on Shami – Recap of India’s Practice Session