Before departing for Dharamsala for the first match of the three-ODI series, several players, including Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer, hit the ground running with a practice session at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.
After being cleared by the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Rohit was the centre of attention in the nets, while Iyer, Kishan, and Jaiswal also fine-tuned their preparations for the upcoming ODIs. As it was an optional practice session, captain Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul, and Prasidh Krishna opted to rest following a gruelling three days in the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
Following a light warm-up of stretching and jogging, the players moved to the centre nets, with Iyer starting the proceedings. Rohit and Kishan soon joined the ODI vice-captain. Rohit, having recently recovered from a hamstring injury, was greeted by Nitish Kumar Reddy with a sharp in-dipper that struck the batting stalwart on his very first delivery. It took Rohit a few balls to shake off the rust; he edged a few and left others while facing the likes of Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, and Gurnoor Brar, periodically rotating nets with Iyer.
All the pacers were impressive, inducing several edges and mistimed strokes from the duo. Over time, however, both Rohit and Iyer found their rhythm. Gurnoor, in particular, hit the deck hard and impressed with his pace. Meanwhile, Nitish, who is expected to start in Hardik’s absence, moved the new ball both ways, showcasing his continued growth as a reliable pace option for the team.
For Kishan, the nets resembled a power-hitting exhibition as he took the spinners to the cleaners. Despite a few mishits, his aggressive intent was unmistakable. After finishing his stint against the pacers, Rohit faced Harsh Dubey, who is likely to make his ODI debut, along with a few other spin bowlers. Of all the batters, Jaiswal looked the most fluent, even though he primarily faced net bowlers. The players batted for about an hour before shifting base to Dharamsala for the opening ODI.
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