New Delhi: Two days out from their next T20 World Cup game, India’s training session on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium carried a sense of a side recalibrating. In the midst of small conversations, extended batting stints, throwdowns and bowlers quietly rediscovering rhythm was Jasprit Bumrah.
After nearly 10 days without bowling – he only went through a warm-up routine in Mumbai – Bumrah returned to full practice, sending down deliveries in the nets. There were prolonged discussions with bowling coach Morne Morkel between spells while he warmed up.
An hour into India’s session, he bowled to skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, operating for around half an hour without any issues. At one point, he cranked it up and skipper Suryakumar Yadav was beaten for pace.
“He is feeling and moving a lot better, so we’ll see how training goes for him on both days and get the team together,” assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said before the session.
Sundar returns
The session also confirmed all-rounder Washington Sundar’s return to fitness. Sundar began with throwdowns before rolling his arm over around 7.30pm, gradually building workload. Abhishek Sharma, however, did not arrive with the team as a result of still recovering from a stomach bug.
As a result, ten Doeschate confirmed that India are keeping their combinations flexible heading into the game. While Bumrah’s return to bowling at full tilt was the highlight of the session, the volume of preparation around him unveiled its own story.
Ishan Kishan batted for close to one and a half hours, moving between power-hitting and placement drills. He was followed by Sanju Samson in the fast bowlers’ net.
With Bumrah back in full flow and Sundar easing his way in, India’s bowling unit is beginning to look complete again.
Change in strategy
Still absorbing lessons from their game against USA in Mumbai, where a slightly two-paced wicket made them rethink pure aggression, ten Doeschate urged for a need to be open to adaptability.
“I thought that the wicket in Mumbai did call out for a bit more application and maybe a change in strategy,” assistant coach Doeschate said. “Losing three wickets in the last over of the powerplay and then being six down at 70, it did need adaptation.”
Ten Doeschate admitted the team may need to recalibrate their batting approach after discovering conditions have not played as anticipated in the opening days of the tournament.
“In this format, if you’re aiming for 250 every time, mistakes will happen. We accept that but judging how wickets have played in the first five or six days of the tournament, there might be a slight revision in strategy.”
“I also don’t think our bowlers have fired yet. It’s easy to look at the USA game and say that was a good bowling performance, but if we analyse objectively where we put the ball and how we used it, I thought it was very good. Still, we expect more,” he added.
India vs Pak back on
After India’s match against Namibia on Thursday, they travel to Colombo to face Pakistan on February 15. India received confirmation late last night that the game was back on. Ten Doeschate said that their preparations remain unchanged despite uncertainty around the fixture.
“It’s great that the game is back on. We never changed our preparation thinking the game wasn’t going to happen. We were always under the impression that something would transpire and we would play, so there is no big change in how we are going about things. We’re delighted to have another chance to play against a quality side,” he said.
On consciously insulating itself from off-field noise, he added: “We’re staying clear of politics. We understand sentiments between countries but our focus is cricket. Going to Colombo where Pakistan have been for two weeks will be a challenge but we’re focused on bringing our best game.”
