The Indian Cricket Team began their preparations for the Asia Cup 2023 on Friday. A four-day camp comprising the India Asia Cup squad kicked off at Alur, with Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid seeking solutions to some long-standing issues. The fitness of KL Rahul will be in focus, with him suffering a niggle in training.
The Indian cricket coaching staff along with NCA physios and trainers were all present on Day 1 of the training camp. The camp began at 10 AM with some warm-up and light fitness drills. All players, barring KL Rahul, went through the yo-yo test before joining the camp. Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill batted in the nets, with match simulations in focus. The duo faced a fiery spell from Mohammed Siraj on the centre wicket, batting long hours.
Mohammed Shami, who was rested for the entire IND vs WI series, was seen back in action. Mohammed Siraj is also back after his WI tour ended prematurely. Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna and Jasprit Bumrah are the other pacers in the side. With Prasidh and Bumrah recently returning from injuries, their workloads will be monitored. Further, the camp is a good way to test whether Bumrah can bowl 10 overs and sustain the pressure of the ODI game.
While injured, KL Rahul is still around the Indian team. He took part in multiple fitness and training drills, and his injury doesn’t seem serious. It is believed Rahul can bat in the ODIs, but his keeping is an area of concern. The selectors have Ishan Kishan as a backup keeper, with Sanju Samson also in as a reserve. Rahul did bat in the nets and was seen in regular conversations with NCA physios. Rahul played a couple of practice games and kept wickets before suffering a niggle.
Indian vice-captain Hardik Pandya also had a long session with the ball in hand. Head coach Rahul Dravid watched on closely from the sidelines as the squad went through different routines. Suryakumar Yadav was also present, and took some time out to interact with the local cricketers. Mohammed Shami also had long conversations with Rahul Dravid. Umran Malik, Aniket Choudhary, Rahul Chahar and Sai Kishore have also reported at the KSCA, but did not bowl on Day 1.
