IND vs NZ 2021: [Watch] Rahul Dravid gives throwdowns to Rohit Sharma in the nets ahead of Jaipur T20I
Rohit Sharma and Team India have kickstarted their preparations for the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand. The series is set to begin on November 17 (Wednesday) in Jaipur.
After returning from the UAE, the cricketers assembled in Jaipur on Sunday (November 14) before resuming training the next day. Newly-appointed head coach Rahul Dravid and T20I captain Rohit Sharma took over the reins as the Men in Blue started fresh for the next T20 World Cup. The showpiece event is less than a year away.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a clip from the training session where Rahul Dravid was seen giving throwdowns to Rohit Sharma. They captioned the video:
"New roles 👌 New challenges 👊 New beginnings 👍 Energies were high yesterday on Day 1 at the office for #TeamIndia T20I captain @rohitsharma45 & Head Coach Rahul Dravid."
Rohit Sharma, who had a decent outing in the T20 World Cup and scored two half-centuries, looked in decent touch in the nets. He timed the ball well and played shots all across the park to complete his preparations for the first T20I.
Sharma was India's second-highest run-scorer in the global T20 event after KL Rahul, who accumulated 174 runs from five games at a strike rate of 151.30.
"He will bring a lot of calm into the dressing room" - KL Rahul on captain Rohit Sharma
🗣️ 🗣️ "We all are excited to play under @ImRo45's captaincy."
@klrahul11 on Rohit Sharma leading #TeamIndia in the T20Is.
#INDvNZ https://t.co/wseMLeg27w
Senior cricketer KL Rahul on Monday (November 15) admitted that the squad is excited to play under new captain Rohit Sharma. The Mumbai Indians skipper was handed over the baton after Virat Kohli relinquished his duties from the shortest format.
Addressing a press conference, Rahul said:
"There's nothing new in Rohit being captain, we've all seen him leading Mumbai Indians for as long as I can remember. His stats are there for everybody to be seen, he has a great understanding of the game."
He added:
"Tactically he's really good and that's why he's been able to achieve the kind of things that he has as a leader. He will bring a lot of calm into the dressing room and the next few weeks will be exciting to understand what kind of goals he has. The more we talk to him in the next few days, I'll also be able to understand it better. But like I said, it's a big change in Indian cricket and we are all looking forward and excited about it."
So far, Rohit Sharma has led India in 19 games in the absence of Virat Kohli, winning on 15 occasions. He will hope to make a winning start as he assumes office as India's full-time T20I captain in the series against New Zealand.