Team India are having a great time in the ongoing T20 World Cup Down Under. The Rohit Sharma-led side finished the Super 12 stage at the top with 8 points.
The Men in Blue opened their campaign with a thrilling four-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan and followed it with a comprehensive 56-run victory against Netherlands. While India suffered a five-wicket defeat versus South Africa, they bounced back to register wins against Bangladesh (by 5 runs) and Zimbabwe (by 71 runs).
Fast bowlers have played an instrumental role in India’s success at the marquee event. The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami and Hardik Pandya have bowled brilliantly in tandem at different junctures of the game.
No wonder, the Indian cricket team has gone the extra mile to provide comfort to its pace bowlers.
According to a report published in The Indian Express, head coach Rahul Dravid, skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli have given up their designated business-class seats for the quicks.
As a result, fast bowlers have managed to rest and recover between games.
“Before the tournament, we decided that since the pace bowlers clock the maximum mileage on field day in, day out, they need to stretch their legs,” a support staff member of the Indian team told The Indian Express on its arrival in Adelaide for the semi-final against England.
As per the ICC regulations, every team gets four business-class seats. While most teams give these seats to their coach, captain, vice-captain and manager, the Indian think tank decided to allocate it to the pacers upon realising that they needed to travel every third or fourth day.
Notably, India played Pakistan in Melbourne and then travelled to Sydney for the Netherlands match. While the game against South Africa was held in Perth, the team then travelled to Adelaide for the Bangladesh fixture before returning to Melbourne again for the Zimbabwe match.
Team India will now face England in the semi-final at the Adelaide Oval on November 10.
(The Indian Express inputs)
