India gain full strength as team members from England arrive UAE

Team India will have their first full-fledged practice session at the ICC Academy as they prepare for their first game against Hong Kong

Sheer coincidence maybe or it’s just part of the big script; exactly at the moment, Pakistan walloped Hong Kong, the last batch of six players of the Indian team set foot in Dubai for the first of the two — and possibly three — big-ticket matchups between the arch-rivals.

Members of the Indian team who were part of the Test series in England arrived in Dubai on late Sunday evening after staying back in London for a few days there, trying to erase the memories of the Test defeat.

Head coach Ravi Shastri, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Dinesh Karthik, Shardul Thakur, assistant coach Sanjay Bangar checked into team hotel Grand Hyatt along with bowling coach Bharat Arun and other members of the support staff.

Meanwhile, the Indian team had an optional net and the fast bowlers were given an off day today, keeping in mind the hot and humid conditions. The net session was attended by MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Ambati Rayadu, Yuzvender Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.

The Indians will have their first full-fledged practice session from 12.30pm onwards Indian time at the ICC Academy as they prepare for their first game against Hong Kong.