Arms on his hips, Rahul Dravid watched the pitch closely. For someone, who has spent long hours on those 22 yards across the cricketing globe, gazing at the centre-square is second nature. The former India captain and present coach gingerly walked around while the ground-staff trimmed the grass and the pitch transformed from dull green to an earthy brown hue.
Dravid’s meditative rounds constituted the concluding phase of Friday’s training session for the host. Earlier in the afternoon, the sun remained the harsh dispenser of dry heat, baking the players to a crisp while in the shade, media personnel with parched throats sought water bottles. Meanwhile, the Men in Blue, gearing up for their Sunday’s World Cup clash against a bruised England, encashed their optional nets choice here at the Ekana Stadium.
Most, including skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, preferred to rest. A few others, with the coaching staff led by Dravid, turned up for a training stint at the nearby B ground. Mohammed Shami and Ishan Kishan, who had skipped Thursday’s schedule, were a strong presence and besides them were Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur.
