There was a stark contrast in training between the Indian and the Pakistan team on Tuesday in Dubai, with the arch-rivals practising in neighbouring arenas ahead of their final group stage games of the Asia
Cup, according to a report in PTI. While Pakistan play their last match on Wednesday, India play Oman on Friday.
Amidst rumours that Pakistan might skip training, the cricketers turned up while their Indian counterparts pushed on with an intense session already into its third hour. India started their training session at 6 pm local time while Pakistan took the field at 8 pm.
The contrasting intensity of the two training sessions underscored the widening gulf in standards with each passing day.
While the Indians went through a full-fledged warm-up, with even vice-captain Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma doing Bronco runs under Adrian Le Roux, Pakistan’s training was limited to an outdated passing-the-football drill.
Though one might argue the side appeared relaxed despite the on-field drubbing from India and the off-field troubles, the chatter and laughter with the strength and conditioning coach hinted at underlying tension.
Not a single Pakistani cricketer walked over to the Indian arena for a glance as their nets got underway under head coach Mike Hesson.
At the request of the Indian media contingent, captain Suryakumar Yadav cut a cake to mark his 35th birthday, which had fallen on Sunday, September 14, the day India secured a commanding victory over Pakistan.
Indian batters, known for their range-hitting in the nets, finished their session before Pakistan arrived at 7:50 PM local time, a wise move, as many of those big hits often end up landing on the ground where Pakistan were scheduled to train, according to a report in Cricbuzz.
Hesson observed a net session where Pakistan’s star batter Fakhar Zaman faced a rotating spell from Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Nawaz.
