WTC final: [Watch] Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara seen in action on Day 3 of intra-squad match
Team India's preparations for the World Test Championship (WTC) final continued in full swing on Monday with Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja, among others, displaying their skills in the intra-squad match.
The BCCI shared a highlights-clip of Day 3 of the practice game. Rohit Sharma's cut-shots and Cheteshwar Pujara's leg-glances occupied most of the part. Shardul Thakur and reserve pacer Avesh Khan were also seen in action, trying their hands on the Dukes ball.
The watchful eyes of head coach Ravi Shastri were panned over the game as well. He could even be seen emulating one of Ravindra Jadeja's shots from the stands.
Here's the video:
The clip ended on an amusing part. Rishabh Pant called on someone in the pavilion to inform them that Shardul Thakur, who was apparently the last man to bat on Day 3, had gone straight back to the nets after practice.
Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara key to Team India's success in the WTC final
With just 4 days to go for the summit clash against New Zealand, this intra-squad simulation is the closest Team India could get to match practice. Although Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara's scores haven't been disclosed by the BCCI, the duo looked in decent touch in the short video.
Both players' performances in the WTC final will be integral to India's success. Rohit Sharma showed excellent form in India's home Tests against England. However, he has just played 1 Test so far in the UK, scoring 34 runs. Swing upfront has often troubled him and Kiwi bowlers will be keen to expose those weaknesses.
Cheteshwar Pujara, on the other hand, has experience of 9 Tests in the country. He has scored 500 runs across these games, including a hundred and two fifties at an average of 29.41. He will look to improve on these figures as well.