One of Jasprit Bumrah’s yorkers hit the boots at the practice nets of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, February 20. Morne Morkel, watching intently from behind the nets, nodded in agreement – not only at the pace of the ball that was bowled, but also at the trajectory. The ball sank late. It landed exactly where it was supposed to.
By the time Bumrah ran to retrieve it, the yorker had opened a pair of expensive trainers placed at the other end.
Bumrah didn’t mind. Neither does Morne.
“I’d buy a new one,” quipped the fast bowler.
Something else mattered more than the damaged shoes – Bumrah looked in good shape. The shoulders were relaxed. Follow up was seamless. After constant travel and rapid change, he found a little break in his schedule. And it showed. Bumrah looked brilliant during the training session in Ahmedabad. (PTI photo)
He played not more than 12 deliveries. Drink a bottle of electrolytes. He rested. Fielding coach T Dilip came forward and briefly discussed the fielding positions. Everything was calm. Checked. Tilak Varma hit the ball cleanly into the near net. For a few minutes everything was in harmony. Bumrah’s flair was on full display during training in Ahmedabad, India. (Photo: Kingshuk Kusari)
But that was just a training area outside the main arena.
Inside the stadium, under the circular ring of fire that crowns the Narendra Modi Stadium, another layer of sessions unfolded.
Inside India, the catching exercise began. Much needed after the Netherlands match.
They finished the group stage as the second worst-hitting sidehe missed nine chances in total. Under the Ahmedabad floodlights, the emphasis was on getting used to the structure of the stadium. At the Narendra Modi Stadium, as the ball soars into the sky, it briefly disappears against this bright circular background before plummeting. India took the exercise hard during the Ahmedabad session. (Photo: PTI)
“Unfortunately, no catch is an easy catch and guys are putting yards and catching a lot of balls. But that’s definitely one of our key points that we’re focusing on is really going for that 50-50 because we know how that can swing and break the momentum of the batting innings,” Morne Morkel said in his pre-match press conference.
The session was long. Recurring. Deliberately.
IS SANJU REPLACING ABHISHEK?
After the catching practice came a subplot that drew attention.
Abhishek Sharma didn’t stuff up. Instead, he joined the spin-bowling group and bowled with Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav on one of the practice strips. Abhishek joined the spinners’ lot during Ahmedabad’s training session. (Photo: Kingshuk Kusari)
On the second pitch, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan had an extended hit against Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube.
In previous sessions, Samson’s time in the nets was not so long. It was on Friday.
Kishan conspicuously touched and repeatedly loosened the ropes. The sound of his bat was pure. Samson was not far behind, measured first before opening up. Could we see a new opening pair for India in the South Africa clash? (PTI photo)
Could this mean a rethink? A return to the left-right combination India preferred in the past?
Nothing was said. But the order of things did not go unnoticed.
SURYAKUMAR, HARDIK BAT WELL
Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya did not spend much time relaxing. From the beginning, the focus seemed to be clear – clear boundaries.
Surya performed the ‘Supla’ against Varun Chakravarthy on several occasions, sending the ball over fine leg. Still looking straight ahead, Hardik released the ‘V’ and deposited a few in the stands. When he connected, the ball traveled comfortably behind the rope. India’s net batting showed the dominance of Suryakumar and Hardik. (Photo: Kingshuk Kusari)
There were times when it didn’t work. Hardik sliced a couple of them in the air, one that would have landed at deep point on a match day. Most of them came when the ball bounced off him. Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel found that outside edge more than once.
This is part of these sessions. You will try to break the line. Some will stay down. Some hold their shape. Some don’t.
CHANGES IN THE INDIAN TEAM COMING
If practice offered any clues, Axar Patel’s extended batting stint could be one of them.
After Surya and Hardik wrapped up, Axar spent considerable time in the nets. After being replaced by Washington Sundar in the previous match, the vice-captain looked composed. Compact. Clear in his movements.
RINKU BOWL ROUND SHOULDER
Another interesting detail emerged after Arshdeep and Dube finished.
Rinku Singh moved into the fast bowlers net and started spinning the carousel. Release was lower. The trajectory is flatter. The ball kept sliding. Rinku Sing the new addition to India’s arsenal this World Cup? (Photo: Kingshuk Kusari)
It is a variation that has been used by several teams in this tournament. A different angle can disrupt the rhythm, especially against tall batsmen who prefer predictable lengths. Whether India will use it against South Africa remains to be seen. But it was tried under the watchful eye of Gautam Gambhir.
WHERE IS ABHISHEK SHARMA?
In the meantime, almost an hour and a half had passed. The session went through phases. Catching. A power punch. Variations on bowling. Axar’s long hit. But Abhishek Sharma was still not batting.
Naturally, the question arose – has anything changed? Was a decision hinted at?
He came late. The first few deliveries were not convincing. Here’s a bit. A poorly timed strike. The timing wasn’t quite there.
Then he settled down.
He stopped trying to muscle every ball. He chose its length earlier. When Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh and the net bowlers attacked, Abhishek responded by going through leg. The balls he mediated traveled far out of bounds, some landed deep in the stands. Abhishek Sharma aims to snap out of a run slump in the T20 World Cup. (PTI photo)
Before training, Morne Morkel dealt with speculation.
“It’s absolutely not talked about in our squad group. He’s a world-class player. We’re going through a very important phase of the World Cup now and I’m pretty sure he’ll do it. Not just for the team but for all the spectators watching the game because it’s fun and we like to see it. He’s getting to the ball well and starting to hit the ball in the net properly. Morkel says that.
It didn’t seem like it from the answers on Friday. It looked like someone was conducting them. His feet moved towards the ball. His head was in the right position. Not all of his shots went skyward. He played down the ground and tried to find different options against the same ball.
One of the most notable things was his willingness to stand at the crease instead of attacking the bowlers, which was a prominent part of his arsenal.
If you were standing on the sidelines watching the entire session, nothing seemed frantic. Interviews took place. Editing. Players move from one grid to another. Some tried new things. Some stuck to the basics. Ahmedabad’s Indian training had shades of elegance all over it. (Photo: PTI)
Bumrah breaks the shoes. Rinku tries round arms. Axar takes his time. Abhishek came in late and left with a couple of clean hits behind him. It didn’t look like a team fight. It seemed as if one was aware of what was coming next.
South Africa in the Super 8 will be India’s toughest test yet. But on Friday, under that ring of fire in Ahmedabad, India did not look insecure. They looked in a good space.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
February 21, 2026