After playing for almost two months on slow UAE pitches during the Indian Premier League, Indian batsmen on Monday were seen preparing themselves to counter the extra bounce and pace on Australian pitches. In the video, in-form Lokesh Rahul can be seen practicing hard to perfect his pull shot with traditional tennis ball training. During the net practice on Monday, he faced some deliveries from just 18 yards distance.
However, it was not at all surprising to see Rahul involved in this kind of a practice session as Indian batsmen often do this type of training to prepare themselves to play on Australian bouncy pitches.
In a video posted on Twitter by the BCCI, senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was seen using a tennis racket to hit the ball at KL Rahul in the nets and was targeting his ribs during this time. Rahul was trying to keep the ball on the ground while playing a pull shot in which Indian captain Virat Kohli specializes.
"How is that for innovation? Ravichandran Ashwin grabs tennis ball racquet while KL Rahul faces volleys with his cricket bat and ball," BCCI tweeted along with a 39-second video.
Why Batsmen Practice With Tennis Balls To Tackle Fast Bowlers On Australian Pitches?
The reason why batsmen practice with tennis ball from a short distance is that the ball comes very fast towards them and this gives the batsman a little time to react. So when they face original/season ball on a 22-yard pitch, the batsman is well-prepared as he is used to facing quick and bouncy deliveries.
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