Prior to the second Test against the West Indies, a new 'teammates' entry has been made in the Indian cricket team. This 'teammates' is not a player but a machine. It may sound strange to hear this but it is true.
The BCCI has released a video about the merits of this machine
In fact, Team India's fielding coach R Sridharan has included a machine in the team that will give the players catch practice. The Indian squad that often faces the problem of catching the ball in the slip can possibly be overcome by this machine.
One special thing about this machine is that while practicing for catch, the machine can be used to set up the pace and distance of the ball. The fielding coach of the team believes that because of the machine, the team can practice to grab better and sharp catches in the slip.
Earlier, during the practice of slip catches, fielding coaches practiced using a bat, in which there was a lack of accuracy over time, but now due to presence of the ‘new teammate’ ( machine), the problem has now been solved.
In this video, along with fielding coach Sreedharan, Captain Virat Kohli and Debutant Prithvi Shaw, who will possibly be debuting in the slips, were seen practicing slip catches.