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Indian pacers, including Jasprit Bumrah, practiced with two-coloured balls to eliminate white-ball habits ahead of the second Test against England.
India players take part in a nets session at Edgbaston, in Birmingham (AP)
The Indian pace attack, practising with two-coloured balls to eliminate the “dirty” habits of white-ball cricket, garnered significant attention during the penultimate net session ahead of the second Test against England at Edgbaston.
Jasprit Bumrah, along with other members of the Indian pace brigade, was spotted holding both red and white balls at the start of the session.
It is common practice to use multi-coloured balls, and the Indian pacers have been employing them since the beginning of the English summer.
The primary reason for this is that the fast bowlers arrived in England after an extended white-ball stint, including the Champions Trophy and the subsequent Indian Premier League.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate explained that training with the two-coloured balls helps eradicate white-ball tendencies in the red-ball game.
“It’s not a new thing. All the ball manufacturers make those balls. We talk about detoxing the bowlers, just getting the very basics right. And that’s the easiest way to give you an indication. Guys have come out of a long IPL season and the filthy habits of that cricket.
“We don’t want that creeping into Test cricket. So Morne (Morkel) and the bowlers just use that tool just to make sure the basic fundamentals are in place. We’ve been using it for the last two weeks,” said Doeschate.
What Was Moeen Ali Doing At England Training?
Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali made a surprise visit to the host’s net session at his home ground on Monday.
England are relying on Ali’s knowledge of Edgbaston, where the pitch is expected to be full of runs and aid spinners from day three onwards.
Head coach Brendon McCullum and spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel were seen having a lengthy conversation with Ali.
Sources told PTI that Ali was at the venue only for the day and is not taking up a long-term coaching role with the team.
Having retired from the highest level, Ali plays in T20 leagues around the world and was also part of IPL 2025.
England captain Ben Stokes had convinced Ali to reverse his Test retirement for an Ashes comeback a couple of years ago. On Monday, he was there for his former captain once again.
(With inputs from PTI)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha… Read More
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