India tour of Sri Lanka: Ice baths and drinks-How Shikhar Dhawan men’s coped with the heat during the 2nd training game
It was time for their 2nd intra-squad practice match when Shikhar Dhawan’s men were sweating in Colombo on Wednesday, July 7, a week before the limited overs series against Sri Lanka. India will host Sri Lanka in a 3-match ODI series starting on July 13, followed by as many T20Is.
India played their first intra-squad match on Monday with Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar leading a side. India had travelled to Sri Lanka with a 20-man squad and 5 net bowlers.
It was a hot and humid day in Colombo as India players, who had spent more than 2 weeks in quarantine during their stay in Mumbai and then in the Sri Lankan capital, needed plenty of fluids to keep them going. India trainer Ashish Kaushik, in a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, shed light on how the support staff were keeping the players cool out on the field.
From water bottles to ice tubs and wet towels, India players were provided with everything that they needed to keep going in the heat. The members of the support staff were seen carrying water bottles along the boundary rope throughout the match. In the video, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad can be seen dipping his legs into an ice tub after a gruelling session of play.
India have played two T20 intra-squad matches so far with all the members of the squad taking part in them. On Wednesday, the likes of Chetan Sakariya, Hardik Pandya were among the many who were spotted in action in the photos shared by the BCCI.
Notably, Bhvneshwar Kumar’s XI defeated Shikhar Dhawan’s XI in the first intra-squad on Monday. While Dhawan has been named the captain, Bhuvneshwar will be his deputy. Rahul Dravid has travelled with the team as the head coach even as Virat Kohli-led Test regulars are preparing for a 5-Test series in England
Batting first, Dhawan XI put up 154 for four in 20 overs with Pandey scoring 63 off 45 balls. Ruturaj Gaikwad contributed 30-odd, opening the innings. Opposition skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the best bowler with figures of 2/23 in 4 overs.
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In reply, Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal added 60 runs in quick time to set up the chase and Surya’s 50-odd helped them achieve the target within 17 overs.
