The first batch of the Indian squad picked for the World Test Championship final comprising of players whose teams lost out in securing IPL playoff berths will take the early morning flight on Tuesday to the UK.
Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj became free of IPL duties after Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL exit on Sunday. They, together with Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and R Ashwin will be the first to reach the UK. These players will begin training early with the Rahul-Dravid-led support staff to get back into Test match mode for the big final to be played against Australia at The Oval, starting June 7.
Unadkat to join later
Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat who suffered a left-shoulder injury during training in the IPL on April 30 is on the road to recovery. But he will be travelling later after completing rehab, after being declared fully fit. “Jaydev has begun bowling in the nets and we are hopeful that he will be ready in time,” a BCCI official said.
Yadav too is returning from a hamstring injury he suffered during the IPL. His last outing for Kolkata Knight Riders was on April 26. Delhi Capitals right-arm pacer Mukesh Kumar who was picked in the ODI squad against South Africa is travelling with the team as a backup. Kumar who plays Ranji Trophy for Bengal has played for the Rest of India.
Captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Shami and Ishan Kishan along with reserves Suryakumar Yadav and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be travelling to UK in batches as and when their respective team’s IPL campaign ends. Cheteshwar Pujara has been making the most of his county stint with Sussex and will probably be best prepared.
White kookaburra to Red Dukes
With the final to be played with the Dukes balls in English conditions, there’s a sharp contrast in the way the two bowling attacks are preparing. While Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc opted out of IPL to stay fresh for the WTC and the Ashes to follow, most of the Indian bowlers will come feasting on a diet of T20 cricket.
All the talk of the players bowling with the red ball in the nets during IPL was just that.
“With the amount of travel involved in this year’s IPL, rest and recovery was the most important,” a support staff member of one franchise said. “It wasn’t practically possible to exert the bowlers with increased workloads.”