The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Fine-tuning their big hits

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Fine-tuning their big hits

Principal Correspondent

Bangalore: On a day of optional nets, a clutch of Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen fine-tuned their lofted shots at the KSCA (B) Ground here on Tuesday afternoon. Leading players including skipper Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar opted for a rest, while the rest limbered up and had a long nets session.

And as the light began to fade, Wasim Jaffer began to loft the throw-downs all over the park. The lofted drive and the inside-out chip over mid-off was brought out of the closet by a batsman often stereo-typed as a ‘Test’ batsman who prefers to get his eye in before fancying hitting over the ropes.

Threatening the cars

After Jaffer, former Karnataka opener J. Arun Kumar too began to threaten the cars parked close to the National Cricket Academy, as he played with his usual aggressive veneer. Virat Kohli too swung his bat and even flat-batted one past a net bowler, much akin to a tennis forehand. Kohli also plucked some brilliant overhead catches. The evening’s ‘who-hits-the-hardest’ theme was carried forward by Cameron White before coach Venkatesh Prasad and chief cricket officer Martin Crowe concluded the practice session.

Chanderpaul, who hit the ball straight onto his right leg during the course of his cameo against Mumbai Indians at Mumbai on Sunday, is fit according to team physio Muthu Kumar. Meanwhile Anil Kumble, recuperating from a groin injury, had a session at the NCA gym in the evening.

Royal Challengers is expecting the arrival of Misbah-ul-Haq and Bangladesh’s Abdur Razzak on Wednesday to bolster the team.

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