India had their first training session on Tuesday, less than two weeks before the start of the Australia series, but Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were absent
Senior India cricketers Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were not present at India’s first training session on Tuesday at the WACA ground in Perth as the visiting team continued to ramp up privacy at the venue amid a Manchester United-like heavy security in the city.
India held their first training session at the old Test venue in Perth, less than two weeks before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. The series opener will take place at Optus Stadium, located about three kilometres away, on November 22.
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant were present at the nets as social media posts from a journalist in Perth went viral. The youngest of the three even hit a six that went over the practice ground and landed across the street, albeit not hurting any passerby or damaging any car.
However, senior players like Kohli, who was the first player from the Test squad to reach Perth, having arrived in the city on Sunday, Bumrah and even Ravichandran Ashwin, among a few others, were absent from the session. It was primarily because they opted for a rest after India cancelled the compulsory training session, according to a report in The West Australian. In fact, the Tuesday net session was an optional one, although India will reportedly have a full-fledged practice session on Wednesday and Thursday at the WACA.
India ramp up privacy
Earlier, The West Australian reported that the WACA stadium was under wraps on Tuesday as India began their secret training camp for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The practice ground was covered in black traps while cricket staff at the venue were barred from using their mobile outside the offices or filming inside the ground.
The team was provided with the highest level of security, reminiscent of what English Premier League giant Manchester United received during their 2022 tour.
“There’s been a lot of work in the background to make sure we were ready for them,” new WA Cricket chief executive John Stephenson told The West.
“We’ll have staff on hand to ensure we execute it well, and we’re looking forward to hosting the three days behind closed doors.”
As visuals of the practice session emerged amid the security, the newspaper reported on Wednesday that India increased the privacy settings at the venue, banning WACA construction workers from filming or even watching the training sessions.
