The Sports Desk
Even as the Indian boys had high energy and fun during their cricket camp in ICC Academy here, they did not lose intensity of practice before the Asia Cup with Super Fours berths up for grabs irrespective. But there was lot of light-hearted moments in every session.
Fielding drills took on a lighthearted tone from the start. Then Hardik Pandya smiled and collected a sharp/flying catch with the studied nonchalance of someone who just wants to make things easy. “ ‘Cause great fielders don’t dive,” he wisecracked, eliciting laughter from teammates. The drill was arranged like a penalty shootout with each player taking alternating turns defending a makeshift goal. A few dropped catches later, all the fun was not lost: Tilak Varma became the goalkeeper to a chorus of cheers from his team-mates and Arshdeep Singh contributed running commentary in Telugu: “Chala bagundi..
Wicketkeeper Jasprit Bumrah, who mingled elements of his usual self-absorption when he gets into the zone with some light moments created much to the delight of a tinder-dry media. There were plenty of jokes, but the players made sure to focus and take responsibility as they completed their fielding and batting workload.
The nets were equally feisty. New batsmen who hadn’t got a hit in the nets- Sanju Samson, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya among them-stooped away for long hours at the nets flaying balls across the square. Rinku Singh also had to put up with Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, throwing ball after ball at a recalcitrant batsmen until they were pinning their ears back in timed sprints.
The Coaches Gautam Gambhir and Ryan ten Doeschate gazed intently, every minute drill was exaggerated to look intense and demanding. The session eventually ended on a lighter note and the traveling media offered him a cake, which was cut by Suryakumar Yadav in order to celebrate his birthday with Kuldeep Yadav and other support staff members around-a subtle indicator that friendship counts as much as talent.
Meanwhile in the opposite camp of Pakistan The mood?It was serious Without having a destiny to secure its spot in Super Fours, coach Mike Hesson has forced a focussed round of games at nets and fielding sessions which take place under floodlights as dusk falls. Get your shit there sort out pleases A perfect length and such a length that I have never been in the playing X1 in past matches lije players like Saim Ayub or Mohammad Haris who have worked one to one with coaches to correct mistakes for example having problem with stance.
After one more brutal, four-hour practice, Indian team members would get the day off Tuesday. Pakistan on the other hand had no such luxury as they locked horns with UAE in a must-win encounter.
What was clear from the scene at the ICC Academy was two very different approaches; one, children’s fun mixed with forensic preparation and, another, solitary focus under pressure. But there was a common message within both camps – That Asia Cup challenges need to be embraced whole-heartedly.
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