ICC T20 World Cup 2022, IND vs PAK: Fans turn up in hundreds at MCG to watch Team India practice

India and Pakistan will kick off their 2022 ICC T20 World Cup campaign by facing each other in Melbourne on Sunday. During the eve of the tie, fans turned up in large numbers at the MCG to watch the Indians practice.

The stage is set for a high-voltage encounter between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in their Super 12 opener of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at the sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. It would be the third match between the two sides this year, as both teams faced each other twice during the Asia Cup 2022 last month, with both units winning apiece. Ahead of this clash, the excitement is at an all-time high, as both teams are in tremendous form. Thus, it is expected to be a cracker of a game. Meanwhile, fans were so excited about this encounter that they reached the venue on the eve of the contest, especially the Indians, to catch the Men in Blue preparing for the match.

In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on its social media handles, the fans were seen looking on to the Indian practice session through the balcony as former Indian skipper and top-order batter Virat Kohli sweated it out at the nets. In contrast, he did look in good touch ahead of the tie.

Also, pracitsing were all-rounder Hardik Pandya and veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik. The former brushed up his bowling skills, as he is expected to be utilised in some bowling form during the competition. Meanwhile, veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin was also seen interacting with head coach Rahul Dravid, as BCCI captioned the video post, "It wasn't a match day, but hundreds of Indian fans turned up to watch #TeamIndia nets today at the MCG. 🇮🇳🥁👏".

The two sides also kicked off their campaign in the tournament last year, held at the Dubai International Stadium, where India suffered a defeat for the first time against the side in a World Cup. While the Men in Blue lead 5-1 in T20WC clashes against the Men in Green, the latter have been challenging the side sharply since last year.