[In Pictures] - Team India undergoes intense training session ahead of 1st T20I vs SA
Team India had an intense training session on Tuesday, June 7, as they gear up for the five-match T20I series against South Africa, which starts on June 9 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
This will be the Men in Blue's first international series since IPL 2022. With a couple of prominent names missing, it will be an opportunity for the youngsters to make a case for themselves.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a few snapshots from the practice session on their social media handles.
They captioned the post:
"Snapshots from #TeamIndia's training session ahead of the 1st T20I against South Africa. #INDvSA @Paytm."
Snapshots from #TeamIndia's training session ahead of the 1st T20I against South Africa.
#INDvSA @Paytm https://t.co/wA8O1Xr0i7
📸📸
#INDvSA https://t.co/OX7pCjz0QY
Hardik Pandya, who has returned to the Indian team, was seen having a close discussion with Rahul Dravid.
The 28-year-old had a superlative campaign in IPL 2022, leading the Gujarat Titans to the title in their maiden season. Hardik will hope to keep the momentum going as he looks to stake a claim in the T20 World Cup squad, scheduled to take place in Australia later this year.
Young opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was seen batting in the nets while Kuldeep Yadav was spotted speaking to Sairaj Bahutule about his bowling grip.
A bunch of cricketers were also seen sharing a laughter on the sidelines as the squad looked upbeat to take on the Proteas.
"We are not really paying attention to the record" - India coach Rahul Dravid ahead of SA T20Is
The hosts are on the cusp of a massive world record ahead of their series opener against South Africa. The Men in Blue are currently tied with Afghanistan and Romania for the longest T20I winning streak of 12 matches.
It all started at the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021, when they defeated Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia on the trot. India then defeated New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka all by a 3-0 margin to secure 12 consecutive victories.
Head coach Rahul Dravid, however, said that they are not paying any attention to any records. Addressing reporters on Tuesday, the 49-year-old said:
"Honestly, we have not thought about the record. We are not really paying attention to the record. It is nice to win games. But for me, a lot of this is about not worrying about creating records or numbers."
He added:
"We want to win every game we play. We want to prepare and practice well and get to the field with our tactics right and try executing them. If it happens, it is great."
India T20 squad: KL Rahul (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain) (WK), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik.