No matter what, the Indian team is just finding it tough to concentrate solely on the ICC Champions Trophy.
With the alleged rift between skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Anil Kumble already overshadowing India’s title-defending campaign in England, a recent report is suggesting that the team was unhappy with the practice facilities at Edgbaston- the venue for the opening game against Pakistan on June 4.
As per a report in PTI, Kohli and Kumble have already made their displeasure known. The report claimed that the both Kohli and Kumble were unimpressed with the small size of the arena which was allocated to the Men in Blue for practice. The main issue was the run-up for fast bowlers. The defending champions were set to have their first training day in Birmingham in the arena which was adjacent to the main stadium.
With the likes of Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya, all of whom have a 30-yard run-up, finding it tough to bowl due to the short distance, as the Indian team sent manager Kapil Malhotra to sort the issue with Warwickshire (local county) authorities.
It is speculated that the second match of the tournament between Australia and New Zealand on Friday (June 2) at Edgbaston might have prompted the authorities to allocate the adjacent arena instead of the main arena to the Indian team.
Pakistan, meanwhile, also practised at the same ground. However, the Men in Green have already spent a good amount of time in the main arena because they have been staying in Birmingham over the past week.
Meanwhile, India has warmed up for the Champions Trophy in style. The Virat Kohli-led side hammered New Zealand and Bangladesh in the two warm-up games to send out a strong warning to the other teams. After defeating New Zealand by 45 runs (DLS method), India thrashed Bangladesh by 240 runs.
On the other hand, Pakistan also registered an impressive win against Bangladesh in their first practice tie when the Sarfraz Ahmed-led side chased down 341 with three balls to spare. Pakistan’s second warm-up game against Australia was washed out.