The Indian cricket contingent began their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup with a light training session on Wednesday in New York, USA. A day after touching down in the country, the players took to the field to ease into routines and get accustomed to the local time zone according to strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai.
In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Desai stated that the 45-minute to one hour session was aimed at bringing the players together after being away for over two months and assessing their current levels ahead of the marquee tournament. Stars like captain Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant were among those seen joining running drills under sunny skies.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya expressed excitement about playing cricket for the first time in New York and enjoying the pleasant weather. Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant echoed the positive sentiment saying it will be fun to feature in a game in the city. Notably, veteran batter Virat Kohli was not present as he has taken a short break after the recently concluded Indian Premier League as per reports.
Team India will look to steadily build up intensity as they have around a week’s time before kicking off their World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5. They also have crucial early encounters against arch-rivals Pakistan and hosts USA in the tournament. The light session in New York was thus an important first step for the defending champions in their quest to successfully defend their T20 title in the upcoming edition.
