Following their comprehensive win against England in their Group ‘B’ clash of World T20 on Sunday, the Indians had a spring in their steps when the Indians took on to the field for practice ahead of their Super Eight tie against Australia, says a report in The Deccan Herald, adding that a win can do wonders, one might say, but a certain Virender Sehwag was the talking point, the opener hardly taking any part in the practice though he was very much present at the venue throughout the session.
“After a warm-up session where he did some stretching, shuttle runs and a bout of mock boxing, the right-hander perched himself on a chair in the far corner of a make-shift tent. If one were to read too much into the day’s proceedings, it’s mighty possible that Sehwag will remain out of the playing mix at least for a game or two in the Super Eights. The 33-year-old had opted out of practice on the eve of the England game and, on the day, preferred to sit back and enjoy the proceedings as a few interesting ‘experiments’ were held at the ‘nets’,” adds the report.
Meanwhile The Hindu writes, sweat streaks, tired smiles and an intense approach were all on view as M.S. Dhoni’s men did the hard yards at the Colts Cricket Club here on Tuesday. The rigorous training schedule was part of the long prelude to Friday’s ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights match against Australia.
“Pepped up by their 90-run triumph against England, the Indians hit the straps early on to the accompaniment of Bollywood numbers from their iPod speakers. Incidentally Virender Sehwag opted to rest after his initial rounds of stretching, shuttle runs and boxing. Last week, the opener, was struck on his right hand during practice by a local bowler Sachin Peres,” The Hindu reports, adding that Dhoni had reiterated that Sehwag was not side-lined because of any injury but merely ‘rested’ during the game against England.
However with Sehwag skipping nets, his fitness status remains hazy. The opener along with R. Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh, was also subjected to a random dope test. “It’s a routine procedure at every major ICC event and nothing more than that,” said Dr. R.N. Baba, the Indian team’s media manager.
Meanwhile according to media reports, cricketers Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin underwent routine dope test during the ongoing T20 World Cup tournament in Colombo on Tuesday.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has adapted the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) ‘whereabouts rule’ and has made it compulsory for every player to undergo the doping test.
