Net gains

 

 

THE chinks were ironed out for one last time by both the teams as India and England cricketers did their nets on the eve of the first ODI at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Wednesday. India, who preferred to practice in the afternoon on Tuesday, decided to have a feel of the ground under lights on Wednesday. “We would like to see how much dew will be there in the evening and then only we will decide on the team composition,” India vice-captain Shubman Gill had said on Tuesday. Though there was no dew when the lights were put on, the Indian nets was in full flow. The pace department was given rest and was not seen bowling. India batters took the services of net bowlers and throw-down specialists even as bowling coach Morne Morkel watched them bat with chief coach Gautam Gambhir. 

 

 

The match pitch which was kept open on Tuesday was under cover for most part of the day on the eve of the match. The groundsmen were seen shaving off the last blade of grass on Tuesday and on Wednesday nothing such activity was seen as the 22-yard track kept wrapped under red blankets. HIT-MAN ARRIVES It was the 50-over format where Rohit Sharma got the name of Hit-Man for his swashbuckling batting. In the nets, Rohit showed his brute side hitting deliveries after deliveries into the stands announcing ‘Hit-man’s arrival’. He connected the ball beautifully, from the middle of his bat as the ball sailed into the stands on several occasions. Even the carpet driven shots were unstoppable. Hope he continues in the same vein on the morrow.

 

 

The England cricketers played it safe and did not slog it out for long under the sun. There was a bit of running and stretching on the field before the players ventured back into the pavilion. A few, including captain Jos Buttler and Joe Root, hit the batting nets but most of them were inside the cool environs of the dressing room. The afternoon temperature on Wednesday in Nagpur hovered around 30 degree Celsius. Later clouds brought some respite for them and Root was seen taking some throw-downs. He tried to fine-tune his pull shots, hitting them to quite a distance. The next batters followed him and they too freed their arms.

 

 

England captain Jos Buttler made a special visit to the Rajasthan Royals High Performance Centre (HPC) in Talegaon. Jos also took the opportunity to step onto the field, playing a few balls with the the IMSE tribal kids’ cricket team. The young cricketers were thrilled to bowl and bat alongside the England captain, making it an unforgettable experience for them. Buttler also inspected the pitches at the HPC, taking a keen interest in the training conditions and infrastructure.

 

 

THAT he was going to face some tough questions was a given. India skipper Rohit Sharma, who was totally out of form in the red-ball cricket first in Test series against Australia and then in the one Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai against Jammu & Kashmir, was acerbic in his reply to a few questions that cropped up in the pre-match press conference ahead of the first ODI. But the last question was on his Nagpur roots and that brought some smile back on his face. “Whenever I come here in Nagpur to play, I am very excited. There are some fond memories of Nagpur when I used to stay here when I was young. I don’t remember much but when I look at the photos, memories get refreshed. We have done many things here. My relatives still stay here and it feels good to be here. We last played here a Test in 2023 against Australia and after a big gap we are back here. So, I hope I can create another good memory here,” he concluded the PC on a happy note. — Anupam Soni