Virat sustains groin blow but fit ahead of semis

After current captain Rohit Sharma sustained a forearm blow while taking throwdowns on Tuesday, it was the turn of former skipper Virat Kohli to get hit on the groin on the eve of the semifinal against England.

However just like Rohit’s case, Kohli’s blow off a Harshal Patel delivery was nothing serious as he was seen laughing and joking around and even took selfies with select mediapersons.

It was an optional training session in which Kohli batted for close to 40 minutes in a couple of nets. First, he took throwdowns from Raghu for close to 25 minutes before moving to the other net where pacers were bowling.

Also Read: Suspense remains if it will be Pant or Karthik for semifinal against England

Before Harshal started bowling alongside other net bowlers, Kohli had indicated that this would be the “last round”.

It was a quick delivery that hit him on the inside part of his right groin and he was immediately on his hunches. The physios and team doctor rushed to him and after a few minutes, he was back on his feet doing a bit of spot-jumping.

But, Kohli took no further part in the session as that was supposed to be the last round of hits.

He did not look in any discomfort and later even stood for a good 10 minutes to pose for selfies and photographs.

Rohit-Upton up close

It would never be known what exactly Rohit Sharma discussed with mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton but the India skipper has been seen spending quality time with the South African all this time Down Under.

Upton has been the Indian captain’s ears for some days now and Rohit was at times seen listening intently to all the mind coach has to say once he is done with his batting.

Possibly, Rohit could be discussing his fascination or instinctive reaction of going for the pull-shot, something that hasn’t worked during the tournament.

Also Read: One knock-out game won't define me or any other player: Rohit Sharma

Or, it could be about the mindset of winning the big ticket semifinal and final.

Upton knows a thing or two about winning a global trophy having worked as Gary Kirsten’s understudy during the 2011 50-over World Cup.

This T20 World Cup is his last assignment with the Indian team unless he is given further extension.

Pandya has travelling chef for healthy dietary habits

If Suryakumar Yadav is fussy about his diet and nutritional intake, Hardik Pandya is not too far behind. He is perhaps one of the first Indian cricketers, who is accompanied by a personal chef Arif, who is on tour with the Indian all-rounder.

Arif normally puts up in apartments in the cities where India plays and he cooks Pandya’s meals according to his dietary needs and brings it to the team hotel.

"I have to ensure that all of these requirements are met, especially during the big tournaments. The longer tournaments call for consistent stamina up till the final or the end matches and only good food can ensure that," Arif said.

“Hardik trains really hard to keep his strength and body muscle intact during the matches. So it is important to ensure that he does not lose stamina, and his energy does not drop down.

"I take care of his entire diet starting from breakfast to dinner, and make sure that he gets the right proportion of everything from nutrients to body fluids."