Indian batsmen hop and skip to tackle SA bounce
CAPETOWN: Ajinkya Rahane didn’t expect the first delivery of the South Africa tour to take off from good length. But when Rohit Sharma, batting in the adjacent net, was also made to hop a little, it was apparent that this may be the norm.
It is summer here in Cape Town but the searing heat hasn’t sapped the life out of the practice pitches. Bounce is normal here. While it may provide batsmen a better perspective when it comes to leaving the ball, the threat of seam movement will not make it an easy tour.
India chose to camp at the Western Province Cricket Club, not too far from the Newlands stadium, after opting out of the practice match at Paarl. Captain Virat Kohli’s reasoning was simple. “There is no point wasting two days, guys going in, scoring quick fifties and coming out. We would rather have them do two sessions like today (Saturday), get into the Test match zone and test ourselves,” said Kohli.
Choosing an extended training session of more than three hours was indication of India meaning business on the first day itself. Even Rohit was urging one of the staff to turn up the pace. “I think the most important thing is to not get surprised by the pace and bounce,” said Kohli.
“We have convinced ourselves that it’s going to be quicker and bouncier than back home and you might get balls that may surprise you now and then. The most important thing is to put it behind you and focus on the next ball.”
The training itself was a sum of many parts. While Rahane and Rohit tried adjusting to the bounce of the pitch, Kohli took time to warm up before taking a few throwdowns and running off to the simulated match to field at second slip.
We would rather have them do two sessions like today (Saturday), get into the Test match zone and test ourselves. VIRAT KOHLI, India skipper
A lot of our boys want job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is when you get outside and score runs and take wickets. RAVI SHASTRI, India coach
Shikhar Dhawan didn’t practice though there is no official update on his ankle injury. With Dhawan not taking part, KL Rahul partnered Murali Vijay as Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami lined up to bowl. All this while coach Ravi Shastri kept flitting between the match and nets to see how the middle order was coping with livelier pitches.
On the sidelines, different players came in to hone their close-in fielding. With an entire ground and top facilities at their disposal, it looks like India are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.
South Africa’s invincibility at home demands that too. “If you look before that, it’s always been South Africa, ahead of any other team. It was a team that was in transition, but South Africa have always had good bench strength. The thing now, though, this will be a good contest. A lot of our boys want job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is when you get outside and score runs and take wickets. So there’s a challenge. They want that Test match to start as soon as possible,” said Shastri.