Team India prepares for World Test Championship final with focus on bowlers workload | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In the lead-up to the highly anticipated World Test Championship final against Australia, commencing on June 7 at The Oval, the Indian cricket team is diligently working on building the workload for their bowlers, who recently participated in the demanding Indian Premier League (IPL).
While a group of players, including Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, and Umesh Yadav, were part of the initial batch that travelled to England, pace spearhead Mohammed Shami‘s departure was delayed due to the IPL final being moved to the reserve day following incessant rain.
Joining the first batch, middle-order mainstay Virat Kohli, alongside the Rahul Dravid-led coaching staff, arrived on Monday. Additionally, Cheteshwar Pujara, who was occupied with County Championship duties for Sussex, also linked up with the squad in England.
The Indian team is expected to hold several practice sessions at the Arundel Castle Cricket Club in Sussex, preparing for the crucial final clash.

Speaking about the team’s preparations, India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey shared, “The preparation has been good so far. The initial bit was to ease into the practice session, but the last two sessions have been pretty productive. We have been gradually increasing the workload for the bowlers, preparing them for the Test match.”
Expressing satisfaction with the conditions, Mhambrey added, “We are happy with the conditions. It is a lovely ground, and the weather has been holding up. It has been sunny, a little windy, and a little chilly, but these are conditions we need to adapt to when playing in England.”
India’s fielding coach, T Dilip, emphasised that the focus would be on close-in catching, as the running component of fitness had been covered during the IPL.

“With the players coming from the IPL, our main focus was to manage their workload and ensure they have taken proper care of themselves. Ground fielding has been well covered during the IPL, so here our focus is on catching, especially close-in catches, slip catching, and flat catches. We aim to increase the volume of these specific catches,” Dilip explained.
While the bowlers will have some rest in the days leading up to the WTC final, Mhambrey emphasised the group’s determination to make the most of the training sessions.
“We have two more sessions now, and we want to build up the intensity, particularly with the bowlers. On the day before the Test match, everyone will have an easier option, and the bowlers will have the option to take a day off. We plan to maximise the three quality sessions we have and extract the best out of each one,” Mhambrey stated.

India’s batting coach, Vikram Rathour, highlighted the importance of adapting to the longest format of the game during the preparation period.
“All the players have had a lot of cricket experience. The focus now is to adapt to the different format, get accustomed to playing with the red ball, and engage in several sessions to acclimatise to the nuances of Test cricket,” Rathour shared.
As the Indian cricket team fine-tunes its preparations ahead of the World Test Championship final, fans eagerly await the clash between these two cricketing powerhouses for the ultimate Test cricket crown.
(With inputs from PTI)