India kick off their ICC Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20. India will play all their matches in Dubai where they take on Pakistan (Feb 23) and New Zealand (March 1) after playing the Tigers.
The Indian team have already reached Dubai and are down to the practice sessions. They practiced at the ICC facility in Dubai with the all the players putting their all into their practice sessions.
Heading into the first game, the Indian think tank is puzzled over playing the right combination. With Varun Chakravarthy's inclusion, it will be interesting to see if he is played ahead of Kuldeep Yadav as the lead spinner.
Morne Morkel Back Home After The Death Of His Father
Meanwhile, amid all of this, India's fast bowling coach Morne Morkel had to fly back home from Dubai due to the death of his father. Morkel reached Dubai with the other members of the Indian team on February 15 and was part of many training sessions. However, the sudden demise of his father has forced him to head back home amid India's preparations.
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Reports in Dainik Jargan further say that his return schedule is yet not known. In his absence the Indian pacers will certainly his valuable inputs as they prepare for the big matches.
India have picked as many as five spinners for the tournament and just two pacers. Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy are the specialist spinners. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh are the two pacers with Hardik Pandya as the third seamer option. India are without Jasprit Bumrah who has been ruled out of the tournament due to his persistent back injury.
It will be interesting to see whether only two pacers can bear the brunt of the Indian bowling attack and how Gautam Gambhir and his think tank uses the five spin options that he has at his disposal. India were the finalists of the 2017 Champions Trophy losing the final against Pakistan.
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