[Watch] Rishabh Pant, Team India sweat it out in final training session ahead of IND vs SA 2022 1st T20I
Team India, under Rishabh Pant, walked out for their final training session ahead of the first T20I against South Africa at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on June 9.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video on their Twitter account to show how the Men in Blue prepared for the series opener.
Here's what the BCCI tweeted with the video below:
"Prep Here we go #TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @Paytm"
Prep ✅
Here we go 💪
#TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @Paytm https://t.co/HULFaMouEv
India captain and also local boy Rishabh Pant walked out to train at the start of the video and did some wicketkeeping drills first. The video also showed a glimpse of his first press conference as India's skipper.
.@RishabhPant17 takes us through his emotions on leading #TeamIndia. 👍 👍
#INDvSA | @Paytm https://t.co/EVS59jHtMw
Vice-captain Hardik Pandya was seen warming up first and then bowling at full throttle, which is likely an indication of how Pant might want to use him against the Proteas. Pandya also smoked a few balls right out of the middle of the bat and practiced his power-hitting.
Rishabh Pant was also seen batting in the open net and was timing the ball beautifully. Umran Malik, Avesh Khan and Yuzvendra Chahal were all seen bowling in the nets ahead of the crucial encounter.
Ishan Kishan, Dinesh Karthik and Deepak Hooda were seen practicing in the nets, trying to find the middle of the bat.
Will Rishabh Pant use Hardik Pandya as the fifth bowler?
Towards the end of the video, head coach Rahul Dravid spoke about how the star-studded South African side would pose a strong challenge to this new-look Indian team.
The video ended with Dravid having some key discussions with captain Pant and vice-captain Hardik Pandya. It will be interesting to see how the Men in Blue line up against the Proteas as the auditions for the T20 World Cup continue.
Hardik Pandya has definitely shown in the IPL 2022 final that he is capable of delivering four overs. But would India risk playing an extra batter and use the 28-year-old as the fifth bowler? Only time will tell.