The Indian cricket team, as is usually the case, wanted a relaxed training atmosphere. This was clear as the players went through their routines at the Kent County Cricket Ground before the fourth Test in Manchester.
After a disappointing loss at Lord’s, the Indian players looked tired when they got off the team bus after a one-hour drive from London. However, the quiet setting in Beckenham seemed to lift their spirits. The music in the dressing room which included Hanuman Chalisa, English pop, and popular Punjabi songs also helped the players relax.
From the dressing room, players such as Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah joked around with the reporters watching the training session. When one reporter tried to talk to Pant from a distance, Pant replied that he couldn’t hear because of the loud music. Bumrah then joked about Pant, referencing a line from a well-known Hindi movie.
Pant and Bumrah only participated in the warm-up and spent some time in the gym. Pant is currently dealing with a finger injury but is expected to be fully recovered for the Manchester game. Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj did not bowl as part of workload management. It is uncertain whether either of them will rest in the next Test. Except for K. L. Rahul, every squad member traveled to Beckenham.
In other news, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who has yet to play in the series, hurt his bowling hand while trying to stop a ball from Sai Sudharsan’s bat during a practice session with Prasidh Krishna. After batting coach Sitanshu Kotak asked him to practice in the nets, captain Shubman Gill mentioned that Arshdeep might not be able to bat because of the hand injury. The pacer was later seen with a bandage on his left hand.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate gave an update on Arshdeep’s injury: He caught a ball while bowling after Sai hit it. It’s just a cut, and we need to see how bad it is. The medical team has taken him to see a doctor to determine if he needs stitches. This will be important for our plan for the next few days.
The incident led bowling coach Morne Morkel to bowl in the nets. While not as fast as Jofra Archer, Morkel gave good practice to the batters.
With Arshdeep injured and Akash not bowling , someone bowling off 20 yards who is tall and able to shape the new ball provides good practice for the batters. They enjoy competing against Morne as well. The main goal is to give the batters the best practice for the Test match, said Doeschate.
To keep the light mood, Morkel returned to the dressing room claiming to have taken five wickets against the batters.