Team India had their first practice sessions for the T20 World Cup on Thursday at the Cantiague Park in New York ahead of their warm-up fixture against Bangladesh on Saturday at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. While the Indian team was without Virat Kohli, who is yet to join the side, the focus was entirely on Hardik Pandya, who had an intense bowling session for almost an hour.
Virat Kohli, who reportedly extended his break after the IPL 2024, is yet to confirm his availability for the warm-up game against Bangladesh. The former India captain departed for New York from Mumbai on late Thursday evening, leaving fans and pundits alike in suspense about his potential participation.
In the absence of Kohli, Hardik Pandya took center stage during India's practice session in New York. The all-rounder, known for his versatile skills, bowled for nearly 40 minutes at the nets. This display of his all-round abilities, which had been a topic of discussion during the IPL 2024 season, reassured fans about his potential contributions to the team.
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According to Star Sports, Hardik was also seen spending considerable time batting in the nets and having a lengthy chat with batting coach Vikram Rathour.
{{/usCountry}}According to Star Sports, Hardik was also seen spending considerable time batting in the nets and having a lengthy chat with batting coach Vikram Rathour.
{{/usCountry}}The MI skipper had a forgettable IPL 2024 season where he scored just 216 runs in 14 matches while picking 11 wickets at an economy rate of well over 10.
India's T20 World Cup intentions outlined
Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav led the batting practice for India as they faced the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. But the main attraction of the batting session for India was that Arshdeep Singh and Siraj were the first two players sent to bat at the nets, indicating that the likes of head coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit want the team to have a well-equipped tail-end line-up.
Meanwhile, the remainder of the all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube also focused on their respective skills, while the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan and Rinku Singh had a light training session as they were still recovering from jet lag.
India will open their T20 World Cup campaign on June 5 in New York against Ireland before taking on arch-rivals Pakistan in a blockbuster tie at the same venue.