“Not a lot to realize for us. Precedence is to take care of the gamers. Only a formality.”
That was the crux of India captain Rohit Sharma’s transient chat with the host broadcaster after successful the toss towards England in Saturday’s World Cup warm-up match.
No marvel then that India wouldn’t have been too disillusioned when a thunderstorm that began minutes earlier than the beginning of play washed the sport out. In consequence, India left for Thiruvananthapuram for its final warm-up sport with solely 4 gamers coaching on the pre-match day.
The truth that three of the 5 warm-up video games thus far have been washed out has resulted in questions being raised – greater than the scheduling and choice of venues – on the significance and requirement of warm-up video games.
Most groups had been busy rotating gamers in worldwide fixtures with lower than every week remaining for the warm-up video games. It has resulted in a majority of groups not taking the warm-up video games significantly. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan most well-liked to relaxation throughout his group’s warm-up tie towards Sri Lanka on Friday.
It reveals that there was a sea-change within the method wherein the groups take a look at warm-up video games over the previous couple of many years. At a time when there have been no warm-up video games, it was the pre-World Cup probables camp that was once the searching floor for cricket captains to hunt for an X-factor.
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Navjot Singh Sidhu, as an example, was rechristened from a strokeless marvel to Sixer Sidhu resulting from his exploits within the pre-tournament nets forward of the 1987 Reliance Cup. A lot has modified since then that almost all groups want to save lots of their vitality through the warm-up video games.
Add to the truth that the warm-up video games are usually not official ODIs – any 11 can bat or bowl through the sport – additionally takes the sheen out of the video games.
It does not likely imply that warm-up video games have change into redundant forward of showpiece restricted overs’ occasions. Regardless of Rohit taking part in down the sport, India would have been hoping to let Shreyas Iyer and R. Ashwin some important game-time.
Whereas Shreyas proved his health with a cultured hundred towards Australia final week, he’s nonetheless in need of match-ractice. Equally, Ashwin has performed simply 4 ODIs within the final six years, together with his two appearances towards Australia.
Even Bangladesh had a whole lot of positives to tackle Thursday with Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan having just about sealed the opening pair mixture for the World Cup with a 131-run partnership towards Sri Lanka.
The following two days will wind up the warm-up stage of the World Cup’s thirteenth version. It is going to be fascinating to see the method adopted by the groups, climate allowing.