DUBAI
Ahead of the final group game against New Zealand, India trained for close to three hours at the ICC Academy on Friday with the team opting to rest on the eve of the match.
India has had a week-long break since its match against Pakistan last Sunday but will have two games in three days as the Men in Blue will play in the first semifinal on Tuesday.
Skipper Rohit Sharma seemed to have some discomfort in his hamstring during the encounter against Pakistan, and he did not bat in the training session two days ago.
India’s Rohit Sharma bats in the nets.
| Photo Credit:
ARUN SHARMA/PTI
India’s Rohit Sharma bats in the nets.
| Photo Credit:
ARUN SHARMA/PTI
On Friday, the 37-year-old was among the first to stride into the nets and batted for nearly an hour. Considering the short turnaround time between the two games, it will be interesting to see if the team opts to test its bench strength.
Speaking on the sidelines of the practice session, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said the focus is on getting everyone fit for Tuesday’s semifinal but stopped short of indicating if anyone will be rested for the contest against the Kiwis.
“We have had a few days off and had two tough sessions. The priority is to have our best guys available for the second game and fully fit (sic). We also don’t want to rest them for another two days. So, to get that balance, we might try to share the bowling a bit,” said the former Dutch cricketer.
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“We want to win against New Zealand and it is important to keep momentum going and top the group. So, it is a balance of those two things I just mentioned for the selection to be thought about.”
He also said that Rohit’s injury was something the batter has had for a while but is on top of it and managing it well.
The 44-year-old elaborated that managing the bowlers’ load in Sunday’s match will be critical. “If Shami or the seamers are going to bowl 10 overs bowling second in the first game (vs New Zealand) and 36 hours later, if we are bowling first, that’s quite a workload. So maybe they don’t bowl their full quota of overs if that opportunity allows itself. Rohit will have to manage that on the field to keep the guys fresh for the semifinals,” ten Doeschate added.