The presence of five left-handed batters in the New Zealand line-up and the slight calf trouble faced by Mohammed Shami during the Pakistan game may force the Indian team management to play left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh in the Sunday’s Champions Trophy game. If the Friday’s practice session was an indication, then the Punjab pacer in all likelihood will replace Shami, who has recently returned to the national fold following a long injury lay-off.
Arshdeep trained under the watchful eyes of bowling coach Morne Morkel, bowling 13 overs with full run-up while Shami only bowled 6-7 overs with a curtailed run-up. He was not bowling full steam.
During the game against Pakistan on February 23, Shami had received treatment in his right leg from the physios just after bowling his third over of the innings.
The body language of the players during the training session on Friday suggested that India are likely to give Shami a much-needed break before all important semi-finals.
While KL Rahul in his interaction with media was not very sure if India would alter the winning combination despite the temptation, assistant coach Ryan Doeschate, later in the evening, hinted that the bowling line-up could be changed a bit.
Ahead of India’s crucial ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A clash against New Zealand on Sunday, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate provided an update on Rohit Sharma.
Speaking to reporters in Dubai, ten Doeschate assured that Rohit is managing his injury effectively.
“He’s all right. As you can see, he’s batting, and he did a little bit of fielding earlier. It’s an injury he’s had before, so he knows how to manage it really well, and he’s on top of it,” he said.
The discussion also shifted to the wicketkeeping duo of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. While Pant has been on the sidelines, ten Doeschate acknowledged the difficulty of team selection at the highest level.
“It’s been very hard on Rishabh not playing, but that’s the nature of sport at this level. KL’s been good. He didn’t get many chances, and when you’re batting at six or seven, it’s difficult to get proper opportunities,” he explained.
However, the former Netherlands international highlighted Rahul’s contributions in key moments.
“Obviously, the third ODI in India, he did really well, and that knock against Bangladesh proved crucial in the end,” he noted.
Topics mentioned in this article
