INDIA will open their three-match ODI series against New Zealand on Sunday after completing training sessions at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi over the past two days.
Senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma spent extended time in the nets on Friday, batting for nearly one-and-a-half hours against Indian pacers, spinners and throwdown specialists.
Both players recently played two matches each in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Kohli scored 77 and 131 in those games and faced spinners and pacers during the session. He was also tested by variable bounce while batting against throwdown specialists in one of the nets.
The ODI series will be followed by a T20 season that includes a five-match series against New Zealand, the T20 World Cup and the Indian Premier League.
India captain Shubman Gill also trained and batted in the nets. He had missed the final two T20Is against South Africa in late December due to a toe injury.
Middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and pacer Mohammed Siraj did not take part in Friday’s three-hour session. All three had played for their respective state teams in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Thursday and are scheduled to join the team later on Friday evening.
India also trained at the Kotambi venue on Thursday. The stadium is set to host its first men’s international match during the series.
Meanwhile, India will be without batter Tilak Varma for the opening phase of the T20 series against New Zealand. The Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Thursday that Varma will be out for nearly three weeks after undergoing surgery for a groin issue.
Varma has been ruled out of the first three T20 matches against New Zealand between January 21 and 25. He underwent surgery on Wednesday, a month before India’s opening match of the T20 World Cup.
“He was discharged from the hospital on Thursday morning and is scheduled to fly back to Hyderabad on Friday. He is currently stable and progressing well,” the BCCI said in a statement.
The 23-year-old has played 40 T20 matches for India and scored two fifties in his last three matches in the format.
His availability for the final two T20 matches against New Zealand, scheduled for January 28 and 31, will depend on his recovery, the BCCI added.
Varma was not named in India’s squad for the three ODIs against New Zealand starting on Sunday.
India will begin their T20 World Cup title defence at home with a Group A match against the United States on February 7.
(With inputs from agencies)
