Team India Decides To Ban Open Net Practice Sessions Due To Distractions Caused By Crowds During Practice

December 4, 2024: Team India has decided to close its training sessions to the public after more than 5,000 spectators turned up to watch their practice session at Adelaide Oval.

The massive crowd created a carnival-like atmosphere that the Indian players found distracting, prompting them to request that future practice sessions be held behind closed doors to maintain focus and avoid unnecessary noise.

A spokesperson from Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed that India had expressed a preference to conduct the remaining training sessions in private, citing the need to minimize disruptions during their preparations for the upcoming second Test. “India have expressed a preference for their remaining training sessions not to be open to the public to minimize potential noise or distractions,” the spokesperson said.

While India’s sessions will now be closed to the public, Australia has not made a similar request, and their training sessions will continue to be open to fans.

Despite the disruption caused by the crowd, India’s training session on Tuesday was intense and focused. The players engaged in vigorous throwdown drills, with bowlers taking on star batters like Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant. A key moment in the session was when Kohli faced off against Jasprit Bumrah.

Kohli, who had been covering his stumps, saw a couple of balls go past his off-stump. Bumrah, who was generating significant movement off the pitch, had Kohli on the back foot at times. But Kohli responded with a textbook backfoot punch, a reminder of his class and preparedness for the Test.

Bumrah, in particular, impressed with his seam movement, beating Pant’s outside edge several times. His sharp bowling showcased the kind of preparation India will need to take on Australia in the second Test.

India currently leads the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series 1-0, following their dominant 295-run victory in the first Test in Perth. The second Test, a day-night affair, will be played at the Adelaide Oval starting Friday. With the first Test result still fresh in the minds of both teams, India will look to continue their momentum and seal the series advantage.

Squads for the Second Test

• Australia: Pat Cummins (C), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (WK), Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.
• India: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
• Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal.

India will now turn its attention to the second Test, with players looking to fine-tune their preparations in a more controlled environment.