ICC T20 World Cup 2022: 'Focus was only about getting used to the conditions' - Vikram Rathour
By Team Newsable | First Published Oct 11, 2022, 3:42 PM ISTIndia is preparing in Australia ahead of the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in the country. On Monday, India played a practice game against WACA XI and won, while Vikram Rathour affirms that the side is already accustomed to the conditions.
The conclusion of landing earlier in Australia was all about acclimatising to the weather and the playing conditions. The Indian team management is glad that the players have adjusted to the bounce and pace of the wickets ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, starting October 16. Fourteen Rohit Sharma and co members arrived in Australia nearly 20 days before its T20WC opening tie versus arch-rival Pakistan on October 23. They have been occupied with preparing for the competition at the WACA Stadium in Perth. The Indian players have been going through fierce training, including endurance sessions, batting and bowling at the nets and fielding exercises.
The sessions have been held under the alert eyes of head coach Rahul Dravid, batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and fielding coach T Dilip. "The focus was only on getting used to the conditions. We all knew that conditions in Australia would be different, especially the different pace and bounce from Indian surfaces," Rathour said in a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on its social media handles.
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"So, the idea of coming here early and spending some time practising here was to get used to these conditions and get used to the pace and bounce. The boys have worked hard, and I think everybody has got some volumes in," added Rathour. In the video, Mhambrey and Dilip also demonstrated the routines of their respective departments.
"The bounce out here in Australia is different from the last few games we played here. So, that gives the bowlers a great opportunity to acclimate to the conditions, to the bounce of the wicket, hitting those lengths, what are the individual lengths you want to hit. We were pretty happy with the way the sessions have been. I think we got what we wanted out of the sessions, and now, we look forward to the games," Mhambrey declared.
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Dilip counted: "On Day 1, we wanted to achieve spiking up the throwing intensity and little catches. The most crucial factor is moving laterally, for a shorter distance for a lesser time. On Say 2, what we wanted to achieve on this open ground was we observed that wind becomes a factor, so we did some high catches with a softball so that it wobbles a bit which gives a player a fair idea. And then, we finished off with a cricket ball so that they get the real picture of what exactly was happening."
India defeated Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) XI on Monday by 13 runs in its opening rehearsal match in Perth. The visitors will play another routine contest against the same opponent on October 13 before voyaging to Brisbane for a couple of official warm-up games against Australia and New Zealand.
(With inputs from PTI)
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