India vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup: Pandya skips optional training, Bumrah spends quality time with Dhoni ahead of clash

Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan were notable absentees as India took part in an additional training session ahead of the high-voltage game against Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Hardik Pandya missed India's additional training session ahead of the clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the side's opening game of the 2021 T20 World Cup. Pandya took part in both the warm-up games against England and Australia, but didn't bowl.

UAE, Oct 20 (ANI): India's Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav during the India and Australia warm Up Match prior to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at ICC Academy Ground in Dubai on Wednesday. (ANI Photo) (ANI)

Another interesting aspect was the lengthy chats between mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Team India captain Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Rohit Sharma took part in the additional training session, breaking sweat in the nets alongside wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Reserve player Shreyas Iyer was also seen batting in the nets, but Ishan Kishan was a notable absentee.

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Among the bowlers, it was a regular affair with all of them bowling in short bursts to stay fresh for the Sunday opener. Bumrah was the last one to bowl, having engaged in lengthy discussion with Dhoni.

Earlier, skipper Kohli on Saturday said that all-rounder Hardik will be able to bowl two overs for the side at some stage, but his ability with the bat is priceless and there is no substitute for that.

"Well, I honestly feel that Hardik Pandya presently with his physical condition is getting better in terms of being prepared to bowl at least two overs for us at a certain stage in this tournament and we strongly believe we can make the most of the opportunity we have at our hand till the time he starts bowling. We have considered a couple of other options to chip in with overs so we are not bothered about that all," said Kohli during a virtual pre-match press conference.

"What he brings at number six for us is something that you cannot create overnight. Hence, I was always in favour of backing him as a batter in Australia purely and we saw what he did in the T20I series and how he can take the game away from the opposition. We understand the value he brings to the team as a number six batter and it is important to have such players who can play impact innings. For us, that is way more valuable than forcing him to do something that he cannot at the moment, he is motivated and he is keen to start giving us a couple of overs to us," he added.