[Watch] WTC final: Team India stars sweat it out in gym ahead of New Zealand clash
The Indian players have begun putting in some conditioning work at the gym ahead of their World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand in Southampton on June 18 as per WTC final schedule. Following their 3-1 series triumph over England at home earlier this year, Team India finished as the No.1 side in the WTC points table with 72.2 percentage points, thereby booking a date with Kane Williamson's men in the summit clash.
The BCCI's official Twitter handle posted a 51-second video showing several Indian players hitting the gym hard. The clip sees the likes of Ishant Sharma, Mohamed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwal sweating it out in a sanitized training arena ahead of their WTC final clash.
The video opens with the clock ticking down as several Indian players are seen preparing for a grueling session as they are an important part of the India team for WTC final. From ball slams, running on the treadmill to working with their major muscle groups to build power and strength, the 51-second video captures the cricketers going through a string of workouts.
Also catch up the latest World Test Championship final live score by clicking here.
"You don't just do fitness just for a particular tour" - Mayank Agarwal
Indian opener Mayank Agarwal, in an exclusive with Sportskeeda, spoke about the importance of staying fit during the pandemic and his approach to training.
"To be honest, when there was a lockdown initially last year in March, we didn't know when we were going to play again or when things would open up. The thought behind staying fit is that if you can create a routine for day-to-day life and have a strict fitness schedule, it's only going to help you because you don't just do fitness just for a particular tour."
Following the final against NZ Squad for WTC final, Team India will play a five-match Test series against England, starting August 4.
Nottingham, Lord's, Leeds, Oval and Manchester will serve as venues for the five Tests.
India squad for the WTC final and the England series:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance).
Standby players:
Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla