Subhayan Chakraborty in Dubai
With the Pakistan match now a thing of the past, India geared up for their second Super 4 game against Bangladesh, set to be played on Wednesday at Dubai International Stadium. While the focus remained on Suryakumar Yadav and his team, chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s presence added intrigue during India’s practice session. Although it is not the first time Agarkar has attended an India practice, with many instances during previous tours, this time the focus was also on the team selection for the two-Test series against the West Indies and the roadmap for India’s ODI squad, with a three-match series against Australia scheduled in October.
The Agarkar-led selection committee is set to meet online on Wednesday to pick the squad for the West Indies series, with the Indian chief selector also scheduled to address a press conference in Dubai. After arriving with the team, Agarkar had a lengthy, animated conversation with head coach Gautam Gambhir before the start of the India nets. Agarkar then focused on his running routine as Gambhir oversaw the practice session. Later in the session as well, Gambhir and Agarkar engaged in another discussion, with plenty of hand gestures exchanged between the two.
It was a decently intense session for the Men in Blue, with only Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya opting out of the optional day. The likes of Surya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh and Shubman Gill stole the show with impeccable strokes at the nets. Dube, in particular, was at his best, sending the ball flying all over the park with his sweetly timed hits. Surya and Gill kept it simple in the first half of the session before unleashing big hits in the second, Dube was in no mood to defend. Even Rinku, who has been keeping himself ready in case an opportunity arises, looked to be in good touch, especially against the pacers. Though Abhishek Sharma didn’t bat much, he focused on bowling to multiple batters to enhance his all-round game. After dropping two catches against Pakistan, the first thing Abhishek did was practice long-range catches with fielding coach T Dilip at the start of the session. Overall, India appeared in a light-hearted mood, with the players joking around after completing their cricketing duties.
India will take on Bangladesh in their second Super 4 match, and a win would all but seal their spot in the final.
Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav and the art of repeating his strokes in practice
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