Indian cricket captain Shubman Gill faced an injury scare during a net session, while the West Indies cricket board announced significant financial cuts to player retainer fees, impacting the sport globally.
IMAGE: Shubman Gill copped a blow to his right elbow while facing Mohammed Siraj in the nets. Photograph: ANI Photo
Key Points
- Indian captain Shubman Gill suffered an elbow injury during a net session from a Mohammed Siraj delivery but resumed practice after medical attention.
- Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had a fluent batting session, highlighting the presence of experienced players in the squad.
- Bowling coach Morne Morkel emphasised the crucial role of senior players in guiding younger team members through conversations and shared experience.
- West Indies cricket is undergoing financial restructuring, leading to a 25% reduction in retainer fees for players.
- The West Indies Players’ Association and players have cooperated with the CWI’s necessary financial steps, despite the cuts.
Indian skipper Shubman Gill on Friday suffered an injury scare when pacer Mohammed Siraj’s rising delivery pinged on his elbow during nets.
Gill, who appeared to be in considerable pain, needed an extended period of nearly 20 minutes of medical attention.
The right-hander eventually returned to the nets to face throw downs before India wound up the session at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
Kohli and Rohit Batting Together
IMAGE: Rohit Sharma gets some batting practice ahead of the West Indies ODIs. Photograph: BCCI/X
A few minutes early, veterans Virat Kohli, who missed India’s last ODI assignment against Afghanistan, and Rohit Sharma batted together at adjacent nets.
The batting stalwarts looked fluent during a nearly 20 minutes batting session where they faced motley bowling crew made up of Indian colleagues and local net bowlers.
Morkel On Senior Player Influence
IMAGE: Mohammed Siraj bowls during India’s net session. Photograph: BCCI/X
Bowling coach Morne Morkel was thrilled to see the amount of experience and conversation between the players going around in the dressing room.
“I must say that Shubhman has done an exceptional job so far leading the team. But I’m always a big believer in your senior players and how they shape the team. I think different players in the team will feel more comfortable speaking to a certain senior individual.
“And we’re quite fortunate that we’ve got a lot of experience and conversations, and that can only be great for the team. So, yeah, we’re quite fortunate that we’ve got that experience with the senior players.”
Morkel said the team management is particular about creating opportunities for the young members to speak to senior players.
“For us, it’s just to keep on challenging the guys to have the conversation with the senior guys. We always throw up as many questions as possible in team meetings for the senior guys to speak and to share their experience.
“But the challenge is to sometimes, you know, ask a younger guy while they’re batting in the nets to speak to Rohit about what is important while facing the new ball up front.
“So, yeah, the more opportunities we can create for conversation, you know, with these guys, it’s all great for us,” he added.
West Indies Cricket’s Financial Challenges
The West Indies touched down in the city on September 23. But they are yet to hit the ground for training.
It may be noted that the West Indies cricket has plunged to another round of chaos after the nation’s governing body has announced a 25 percent reduction in retainer fees as part of a wide-ranging series of steps being undertaken as part of financial rejig.
While the international players will retain their 12-month contracts, domestic players will be on retainer contracts cut to seven months.
“We appreciate the spirit of cooperation of the West Indies Players’ Association and the players who have demonstrated their understanding of the circumstances we all face,” CWI chief executive Chris Dehring said in a statement.
“While not ideal, it is a necessary step towards financial stability,” he added, and the cricketers here are in constant touch with the board and players’ body to verify the details.
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