Having enjoyed a day’s break on Thursday, the Indian team hit the ground again on Friday at the Junction Oval in St Kilda.
The Indians once again preferred the centre-wicket to practice and the motto remained the same – hitting the ball hard and long. Skipper MS Dhoni, who had made multiple visits to the crease on Wednesday and had peppered the pickets at this quaint venue, didn’t quite use the long handle. It was instead Rohit Sharma who was going after almost every bowler.
Among the bowlers, Umesh Yadav let it rip having almost stayed away from bowling on Wednesday. He was fast and knocked out Rohit’s off-stump when the batsman left the ball alone.
Mohammad Shami, who underwent a routine dope test on the day, took it easy even as Yadav had a lengthy batting session. There appeared to be certain pattern to workouts of these two pacemen with Shami having exerted himself on Wednesday.
On Friday, India will train at the MCG where South Africa had their third consecutive practice session. Teeming with former internationals among their support staff, the Proteas received a shot in the arm when Dale Steyn went full tilt again in the ‘nets’.
They also had a minor scare when AB de Villiers hurt his right thumb during fielding drills. The South African skipper had his bruised finger dipped in ice for about 10 minutes before he came out to bat to quell all worries.
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