IND vs ENG 2021: [Watch] How Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's team beat Ashwin and Pujara in India's fun fielding drill
Team India has started putting in some hard yards in Durham ahead of the crucial Pataudi Trophy. Their high-intensity training on Monday involved a unique and fun drill - an under-arm throwing game - that saw Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma join hands to beat R Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara.
In a video uploaded by the BCCI, most Indian players could be seen participating in the drill, under the watchful eyes of fielding coach R Sridhar. Sridhar explained the rationale behind the activity, saying the simple game rakes up the competitive spirit of the players while also improving their agility and fitness.
"Then we moved on to a game, an under-arm throwing competition which is again a very underestimated part of the workout. It included speed, agility and change of direction from the boys and you know, it also brings out the competitive juices, there's a lot of shouting, a lot of fun. That's what we started today's session with and I thought it came out really well," said Sridhar.
Sridhar then talked about how Kohli and Sharma took the leadership of one team and went head-to-head against Ashwin and Pujara in a 'tight competition'. Ultimately, it was the former group that won with a lead of two points, but not before some passionate debates and even cheating accusations on the coach.
"We had two teams, one was obviously Virat, Rohit and most of them in the one team and the other was completely taken over by Ashwin and Pujji so it was a tight competition. After some rolling backs of the scoreboard and some debates... eventually, Virat's team took the competition with a 10-8 lead over the other team. Pujji and Ashwin were convinced they won, the scoreboard said 10-8 but those two were convinced that I cheated sided with the team which won," Sridhar added.
R Sridhar talks about Team India's last two practice sessions
Sridhar also spoke about Team India's last two practice sessions in Durham. He said their first day here involved some throwing and catching drills which were followed up with individual sessions for each player on Sunday.
"This leg, I am extremely happy with the way we have started. On Day 1, we had inducted them with a lot of throwing and catching which was very satisfactory. It went well, there was no soreness the next morning. And yesterday we did a lot of one on one work with the players, talking to them, telling what we need from them individually and how can they be a crucial part of the team in terms of fielding contributions. So we had a lot of individual drills tailored specifically for them," said the Indian fielding coach.
This was Team India's third day at the Durham County Ground. They will now play a three-day practice match against a Select County XI, beginning on Tuesday. The 5-match India-England Test series will kick off on August 4.