The Indian team is sending Duke balls to fast bowlers as preparation for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final, which is set to take place at the Oval from June 7 to 11.
Captain Rohit Sharma, after a 2-1 Test win against Australia, informed that the team is planning an early departure to England. SG Test balls are the balls of choice for Test matches at home in India, while Duke balls are used in England. After the three-match ODI series against Australia, Indian players will be participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) which runs for two months beginning March 31.
With the WTC final just nine days after the IPL final, Sharma was asked about the difficulty of adapting to such different conditions and formats. “It’s quite critical for us,” Sharma said. “We will be in constant touch with our players who are going to be part of the WTC final, and monitor their workload.” He added that, aside from one or two players, the rest of the team has experience playing in England and shouldn’t have a problem acclimatising in a short period.
The Indian team management will be closely monitoring the players who make it to the WTC squad and preparing plans accordingly. In its review meeting earlier this year, the Indian board had shortlisted 20 players who will be rotated until the 50-over World Cup. The BCCI also announced that it would be working with the IPL franchises to monitor the workload of the targeted Indian players participating in the IPL 2023.
