A part of the Indian support staff will leave for England early even as India will be taking on South Africa in the five-match T20I series, the website Cricbuzz reported. Barring Rahul Dravid, a part of the backroom staff will be heading for the nation on June 14. By this time three games of the five-match series will be completed.
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Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid will stay with the team till the series gets over and will take his flight on June 19. He will be accompanied by the likes of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer who have been selected for both Test and T20I squads.
Meanwhile, physio Kamlesh Jain has formally joined the support staff as he oversaw the Indian team’s practice session at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Jain was with Kolkata Knight Riders and was with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise for almost 10 years, including three years as the head physio. He was recently recruited by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in place Nitin Patel, who has moved to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
In his mid thirties, Jain joined the team in New Delhi and also oversaw the Indian t20 team which practiced for three long hours. The 18-member side is preparing to take on South Africa in a five-match T20I series starting on June 9 in the Capital. The series ends on June 19 in Bengaluru after matches in Cuttack (June 12), Vizag (June 14) and Rajkot (June 17).
Umran Malik got an extended spell during India’s first training session, but it was his colleague Arshdeep Singh who looked way more impressive at the nets, which included honing of his yorker skills. However, both the juniors might have to wait for their turn with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan ahead in the pack.
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If push comes to shove, Arshdeep looks a better bet than Umran.
The Indian team’s evening session under Rahul Dravid and Paras Mhambrey was as intense as it could get. While Umran, the toast of the nation for his express pace, bowled as quick as he can, Rishabh Pant didn’t leave any opportunity to smash him with equal ferocity.
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