Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul prepared for the finisher’s job and worked on developing his big-hitting skills as India continued to train on the second day in preparation for their Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh. A player usually known for his technical approach, Rahul seemed to have shifted gears and turned aggressive, leaving behind the mindset that often limits his performance by focusing on playing shots that are aggressive. There seemed to draw a more proactive and powerful hitting mentality, with Rishabh Pant vying for a chance in the playing XI.
Rahul, who had bartered 40 runs from 29 balls in the third ODI against England, was spotted clearing the ropes effortlessly as he practiced all the hits for six from almost every ball.
Rahul is likely to bat at the number 5 or 6 slot and his role could be critical during the last few overs. He is also expected to practice range-hitting during this high-intensity session since there might be a possibility that he will need to start the acceleration early in that innings.
Shreyas Iyer, another one aggressive batsman in this series, was also taking time to develop his power game.
Bright and sunny Shubman Gill was fresh from one of those scorching Player-of-the-Series performances in the ODIs of England with scores of 87, 60, and 112, looked every bit the batsman, with a range of gorgeous strokes including crisp drives and lays.
The other countries’ batter probably feared India captain Rohit Sharma, who had come back into form with a scintillating 119 in the second ODI against England. Additionally, Rohit was seen practicing late cuts and delicate touch shots, making the captain appear quite sharp.
Keeping the batting department of India buoyed, Virat Kohli, who scored 52 in the last ODI that marked some return to form, also spent some time practicing his skills. He looked confident as the ball was coming on nicely to him and eased into trying some late play.
Rishabh Pant was found to be slightly injured however after being struck on the knee with a shot from Hardik Pandya during the training on Sunday.
He skipped wicketkeeping and fielding practice and seemed a little rusty when he came to bat, missing and edging a couple of deliveries. Following this, the session opened with a direct-hit competition between three teams.
Team 3 under Rohit consisted of Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shreyas. It was the Indian captain with a nail-biting throw that led to a needless victory.
Team 1 had Gill, Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, and Washington Sundar, while Team 2 had Kuldeep Yadav, Rahul, Harshit Rana, and Kohli.