Xtra Time Web Desk: Team India strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai has been working overtime to get Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur fully fit ahead of the ICC World Test Championship 2023 final. Both Shardul like Umesh have struggled during IPL 2023.
BCCI uploaded a video on its Twitter account on Friday in which Shardul and Umesh can be seen taking part in a fun game together with Axar Patel and bowler Akash Deep. Both Shardul and Umesh began bowling over the nets at the Spitfire ground in Canterbury, Kent. Mohammed Siraj has also joined the training session along with Ravichandran Ashwin.
The Indian team has been training on the Kent county grounds since arriving in the UK. It is the idea of the head coach of the India team, Rahul Dravid, to have a short camp in the county where he previously played. Once the other members of the test team join, there will also be a match between teams. The Indian team will travel to London on June 3.
The first batch of the Indian testing equipment is already in the UK. Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav along with the support staff of the team led by Rahul Dravid arrived in London on Tuesday. Net bowlers Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep and Aniket Chaudhary were also part of the first group.
Cheteshwar Pujara, currently leading Sussex in the County Championship, will join the Indian team later in the week to be a part of the preparations.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Mohammad Shami, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja and KS Bharat will arrive in London after the IPL 2023 final on May 28.
India team for the WTC final: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (week), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (week).
