Team India kick off preparations for warm-up match with a game of beach volleyball
The Indian cricket team, which landed in the beautiful Carribean island of Saint Kitts on Thursday as part of their preparations for the upcoming four-match Test series against the West Indies, engaged in a fun game of beach volleyball ahead of the first warm-up game against the West Indies Cricket Board President's XI at Warner Park, St Kitts, which begins tomorrow.
In what will be new India head coach Anil Kumble’s first assignment in his new role, the Indian team will be looking to counter a West Indies side that will be hoping to translate their recent success in the shorter formats of the game, especially T20 cricket (they are the defending World T20 champions in the Men’s, Women’s and Under-19 level cricket), into Test cricket.
Having made an exhausting flight all the way from India, Virat Kohli and co. had taken off on their first couple of days on the long tour, battling with jet lag and trying to freshen up, but with the two-day warm-up game starting tomorrow, the team was out in full flow as they came out in full strength to enjoy in one of the many scenic beaches of St Kitts to play beach volleyball.
Teams around the world are accustomed to trying their hands at other sports as part of their preparations for a big match, and though football has usually found prominence with the Indian team, the risk of freak injuries as well as the perfect setting to enjoy the sun and breeze, prompted the team management to try out the game which is quite famous in this part of the world.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted on its official Twitter handle a video of the team, led by the skipper Kohli, who was all happy to flaunt his physique, playing beach volleyball with all-rounder Stuart Binny doing a playful commentary in the inset.
The video, with apt Calypso music in the background, sees Binny trying to take a dig at his teammates, but with the mixed feelings most of the Indian cricket fans has with regards to Binny’s selection in the Test side, it was the Karnataka cricketer who was at the receiving end as can be seen by the comments on the Twitter post.