INDIA TRAIN AT INDOOR NETS, NZ HAPPY TO GET FEEL OF WANKHEDE

MUMBAI: Unseasonal rains upset the final preparations of India and New Zealand on Thursday. The teams though chose different ways to deal with it. The Kiwis opted to rest and refresh, just soaking in the atmosphere at the ground, while the hosts squeezed in a hit at the indoor nets.

With the Wankhede Stadium pitches wet after overnight rain, India trained at MCA’S indoor facility at the Bandra-kurla Complex in the morning. It was held in a strict bio-bubble for the entire duration, from around 10am to 1pm.

On the way back to their hotel, Virat Kohli, coach Rahul Dravid, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and batting coach Vikram Rathour went to Wankhede and had a look at the pitch and spoke to BCCI’S chief curator, Ashish Bhowmick.

“It looks like a typical Wankhede wicket. We expect to have some nice bounce, there is value for all kinds of bowlers at the Wankhede and when you bat, you can get runs as well. It is a great wicket for good cricket and all skill sets are in play all the time… This is a pitch which demands a lot of discipline, but at the same time, the rewards of the discipline are also much higher in the percentage compared to some of the other venues, where spin might be dominant and fast bowlers don’t come into play,” said Kohli.

Besides Kohli and Dravid, it is the home ground of Mhambrey, who is a former Mumbai pace bowler.

New Zealand didn’t train in their scheduled afternoon slot, and will go into the game without any training since landing in Mumbai. They did go and spend an hour at the stadium. “The entire team came to the ground to get a feel of the ground and to set up the changing room and viewing area. They had their lunch here,” said a local official. NZ captain Kane Williamson and coach Gary Stead had a look at the pitch.

Pacer Tim Southee said in such instances it’s about backing previous experiences. “I guess you can’t do much about it… The players who weren’t playing got some time to train last week. We had our practice sessions. The pacers are kind of happy that we’re getting extra rest. You just back your previous experiences.”