IND vs ENG 2021: [Watch] Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur go head-to-head in unique drill during Team India session
Team India's young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and all-rounder Shardul Thakur went head-to-head in a unique fitness drill on Tuesday. Divided into two teams, the squad members were challenged in a rugby-style ball-passing game involving a lot of running, hand-eye coordination and teamwork.
In a clip shared by the BCCI, Pant and Thakur can be seen picking their teammates in gully-cricket style. The former apparently chose the likes of vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel. Thakur, on the other hand, went with Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, among others.
You can see how the activity unfolded here:
Senior Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara also gave a low-down on the drill in the video. He elaborated:
"We have to catch the ball with either hand and throw with the opposite hand. If you get touched, you are out. You have to get seven passes and the ball has to stop in the middle between the cones there."
Although the results weren't revealed, Rishabh Pant's team, wearing the orange jumpers, were seen celebrating a possible score at the end of the video.
The Indian management will be delighted to see Rishabh Pant getting into the thick of things ahead of the Test series against England. The youngster recently joined the team after recovering from COVID-19 due to which he also had to miss out on the warm-up match against County Xi in Durham.
Another good development is the apparent recovery of Ajinkya Rahane. The vice-captain also didn't feature in the warm-up game because of a sore upper hamstring. He returned to the nets on Monday.
Full schedule of India's tour of England
India and England will clash in five Tests, starting on August 4. The series will mark the start of a new World Test Championship cycle, making it even more important for Virat Kohli and Joe Root's sides to put their best foot forward.
1st Test: August 4-8, Trent Bridge, 3:30 PM IST
2nd Test: August 12-16, Lord's, 3:30 PM IST
3rd Test: August 25-29, Headingly, 3:30 PM IST
4th Test: September 2-6, Kennington Oval, 3:30 PM IST
5th Test: September 10-14, Old Trafford, 3:30 PM IST