Pakistan unlikely to withdraw from Asia Cup, train at the same time as India at ICC Academy

None of the simmering tension spilled onto the training sessions. For 70-odd minutes, India and Pakistan trained in the neighbouring enclosures of the ICC Academy’s Oval 1 and 2, separated by the players’ changing rooms, one for each team. Though the buildings almost hug each other, a large off-white ragged cloth screen, fastened to steel poles, was erected, just before India wrapped up their practice session, making it near impossible for players to see each other. After their practice session, India’s cricketers walked quietly past the Pakistan cricketers’ training, giving them just casual glances. None paused or lingered to watch them from the balcony as they used to when UAE or Oman were practising. Or when Pakistan themselves were training last week. Pakistan cricketers didn’t seem to care about the Indians passing by.

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India had hit the ground running by around 6 pm. Pakistan logged in by 8 pm local time and began training only after the maghrib prayers. By then, India were in the final stretch of an excruciatingly humid evening.

Laughter and banter

After the initial warm-ups and stretching, Pakistan began an anarchic (equally hilarious) session of rondo, the one-touch passing drill Johan Cruyff had instilled at Barcelona’s La Masia Academy. As hard as bowling coach Ashley Noffke tried to bring in some order, the practice resembled a random kickabout in a congested alley. Players stood in a circle taking turns to pass the ball around between each other while attempting to keep it away from two players in the middle. After five successful passes, they were allowed to score in one of the three goals set up in their small section of the pitch. If a pass is intercepted, the passer and interceptor have to swap places. Organised chaos is a feature of the regimen inculcated to refine the passing range. Here, though, only chaos manifested.

Banter and laughter abounded. Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed produced the most spectacular moment of the session with a bicycle kick. Playful arguments broke on scorekeeping, entrusted to the physical conditioning coach. Goals were feverishly celebrated; Haris Rauf even attempted a parodic impersonation of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘SIU’. Shrieks sliced the humid air, inviting the attention of curious gym goers at the academy. Applause rang when Fakhar Zaman began middling his slog-sweeps, hit with so much power that some shots nestled on the roofs of the Gems School of Research and Innovation. Khushdil Shah too soared sixes into distant orbits.

A quiet huddle and intense session for India

Before that, the Indian cricket team hit the training ground with smiles and the strut of a team in the peak of their collective prowess. The urgency and intensity was such that it didn’t seem that their next match was on Friday, against Oman. It has been this team’s hallmark that they practise rigorously, in pursuit of perfection and the fruits of domination it can help them accomplish. Often, optional practice sessions too have the full quota, working on some aspect or the other. It could be refining a stroke, embedding it into their muscle memory, or fine-tuning a new delivery, or just keeping themselves in prime groove. Like all happy teams, peels of laughter ring in the stadium.

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The batsmen, plus Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel, began with a football session, with Shubman Gill and Co engaged in keepie-uppies, replete with heavy touches and wayward deflections. The bowlers too joined, amplifying its intensity. Just then, coach Gautam Gambhir called for a huddle, which was longer and quieter than usual. After the huddle broke, light jogging sessions ensued, with the nets still unpopulated.

First came Jasprit Bumrah, bowling from a two-step run-up, but still revving up serious bite off the surface. He hurled a couple of slower-ball cutters, one reminiscent of the devilish one that flummoxed Shaun Marsh in the MCG Test of 2019. Soon, Hardik Pandya too began to bowl, from a shorter run-up, keen on hitting his preferred hard-length spots. He gradually increased the tempo and began to bowl full tilt. Shortly, the batsmen, too, hit the nets and unlocked their heavy artillery.

The evening, though, had begun with Pakistan cancelling their press conference. By the end of the night the drama had melted, and Pakistan seemed like they were seriously preparing for the must-win game against UAE.

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