Top guns go full throttle
India team trains in right earnest ahead of final Test
Big guns Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane went full throttle at the nets as the India cricket team on Monday trained in earnest for the upcoming fourth and final Test against England.
The fourth match starts here on Thursday. Captain Kohli, his deputy Rahane and senior opener Rohit were seen batting at the nets in a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Twitter on Monday. The three senior players drove, pulled and flicked against the fast bowlers and spinners at the Narendra Modi Stadium here.
Head coach Ravi Shastri was seen interacting with Rohit and Kohli before the two star batsmen sat together for a discussion. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who bagged 11 wickets in India’s thumping win in the pink ball third Test at the same venue, was seen rolling his arms over at the nets.
The India players were also seen fielding, with Rahane standing next to Rohit in the second slip position and taking a one-handed diving catch to his right. The Kohli-led team lost the first Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai by 227 runs, but bounced back with a 317-run hammering of the visitor in the second Test at the same venue.
In the previous match, India shot out England for 112 and 81 to wrap up the Test inside two days on a challenging Motera track.
India had a full-fledged practice session here on Sunday as well. Leading 2-1 in the fourmatch series, India will be without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the final Test as he has been released from the squad.