Samson and Jitesh dominate India’s big question for Asia Cup as Bumrah and Hardik went full-tilt at the nets.
Samson and Jitesh? No answers yet as India begin their Asia Cup training.
Jasprit Bumrah darted around the ICC Academy Oval in Dubai – sprinting, diving and cutting off angles, much to the pleasure of fielding coach T Dilip. As he carried on with his drills, Bumrah waved him off in jest.
Sanju Samson was meditatively cross-legged after 30 minutes of batting in shirt-soaking humidity, watching and applauding from a distance. Even though it was long after 7 p.m., the temperature was still about 38 °C.
Several Indian batsmen, including Samson, spent several turns at the nets. Additionally, he shared spells with Jitesh Sharma, who he is expected to contend with for a berth in India’s playing XI in the 2025 Asia Cup. While Samson watched, Jitesh, for the record, also completed a proper keeping workout.
Jitesh might have been making up time. In June, just after an incredible IPL-winning season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he played his most recent competitive match at the Vidarbha Pro T20. After playing four consecutive games in the Kerala Cricket League just last week, Samson might have been conserving his energy. In any case, Friday felt more like the first day of classes than the day of selection.
Following the fitness exercises, Varun Chakravarthy and all of the batters alternated between the nets for a considerable amount of time—up to thirty minutes. Bumrah bowled the ideal nip-backer to defeat Gill after a ball was hammered through the covers off a half-volley. The two were just beginning their game of cat and mouse.
Gill batted with Jitesh and Suryakumar Yadav, who was having trouble finding his rhythm after missing time recovering from sports hernia surgery. They had gone hammer and tongs after Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Tilak Varma emerged ahead of them with multiple bats, each of which appeared to be meatier than the others.
In addition to Bumrah, there was Hardik Pandya, who bowled for 20 continuous minutes at a fast tempo and had blonde hair. The focus India placed on bowlers Shivam Dube and Abhishek was also apparent from a distance.
Bowling coach Morne Morkel closely monitored Dube’s action and delivery stride while Abhishek bowled a combination of wrist spin, backspinner, and traditional left-arm spin.
Barricades were put up once more, but this time there were hardly any people present as the Indians exercised from 5 p.m. to just before 9 p.m., unlike during the Champions Trophy when it was thought that several hundred spectators had crowded into a small space intended for 40 to see the team train. It was all preparation for naught.
The first day was over in an instant. Not very dramatic or revealing, but just enough to get the rust off and generate some excitement before the first game against the United Arab Emirates next week.