Indian batsmen put in before facing Shaheen Afridi?: Asia Cup 2023
Rain prevented the Indians from practicing outdoors, so everyone except Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli participated in a recorded indoor practice match versus left-arm throwdown expert
The Sri Lankan Nuwan Seneviratne, the team’s throwdown specialist, and the Indian data analyst Hari Prasad Mohan were the two men who India’s batters paid the most attention to on Thursday at the indoor nets in Colombo. Before playing Pakistan, India had focused on overcoming their most glaring weakness: left-armer Shaheen Afridi’s atomic curlers. Seneviratne was using a ball-slinging device to curve in inswingers and away-shapers, while Hari was meticulously noting the Indian batsmen’s footwork and technique on his tab.
The others worked out physically and intellectually on a rainy day while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli chose not to participate in the optional nets at the Gamini Dissanayaka Indoor facility at the Nondescript Cricket Club. Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, in for his first training session with the squad since recovering from injury, and the others would hunch down to dig further into the footage once their attention on Seneviratne was done after their period. Was playing away from the body caused by the front feet coming too far across or being trapped too far back? These questions have plagued India not only while facing Shaheen but also other left-arm swingers throughout the world.
Both head coach Rahul Dravid and batting coach Vikram Rathour chose to give throwdowns in nearby nets rather than closely monitor how the batsmen were performing against Seneviratne, which may have been done on purpose to avoid adding to the pressure.
Gill, whose minimal footwork isn’t ideal against left-arm pacers and who struggled with seam movement in his maiden game against Pakistan, was making every effort to straighten his trajectory. At the nets on Thursday, he made sure his feet were moving in the direction of the ball rather than sideways at a 90-degree angle as is his habit.
Rahul’s lengths varied a little, compared to Gill and Shreyas’ larger lengths. Designed to bat at No. 5, in the middle of the order, where left-arm pacers frequently work and are crowded close to the stumps. Rahul also urged Seneviratne to bowl a few from close range, showing that he wanted to get acclimated to the extra yard of pace, since he is likely to wait for his turn as Ishan Kishan appears to be the favorite to play against Pakistan on Sunday.
They won’t need any reminders, but they can expect a lot of video instructions on how to cope with each of these bowlers or where they failed with statistics in the following days on their mobile dashboards, where all the data (their own and the opposition’s) is shared. India may not be as data-driven as England or, more locally, as the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, but it nevertheless relies on any information or data that is presented to it rather than just dismissing it.
Shaheen Shah Afridi tormented India earlier in the T20 Asia Cup and T20 World Cup, and in Pallekele, he again produced a variety of issues for India’s top-order. In addition to Afridi, other players India will face at the World Cup include Trent Boult of New Zealand, Mitchell Starc of Australia, Reece Topley, David Willey of England, Marco Jansen of South Africa, and Mustafizur Rahim of Bangladesh, all of whom are capable of returning the ball to the right-hander.
Above all, Afridi is the one who incites fear the most, and he does so singularly without using a complex premeditated plan to trap India in a maze. It nearly sounds as though he is saying, “This is my plan: slip in a couple that might go away but attack with the inswingers – stop me if you can.” And the results have been shocking. After marching too far across the field in the past, batsmen’s feet have recently frozen, and the ball has usually hit the pad or the stumps.
Prior to the Shaheen threat, the last time there was a lot of attention surrounding left-arm seamers was during the 2019 World Cup semifinal when Trent Boult came up during the pre-game interviews. And while facing Matt Henry, a right-handed bowler, the Indian top order collapsed.
But in dire times, desperate measures are used, which is why Shaheen will be putting in a lot of work on Thursday. The Indian team’s preparations for the Asia Cup and the World Cup have been severely hampered thus far by the weather in Sri Lanka. This is gradually becoming the team’s story. They have only had one full training session since arriving on the island because two of their matches were canceled due to bad weather, and Colombo, which will host the Super 4 stages starting on Friday, is still being pummeled by rain. India will have an opportunity to change course on Sunday. More trouble could befall them at the World Cup if they fail the litmus test.
