Champions Trophy 2017 warm-up match: To counter swing, Virat Kohli plays with red ball

It was a sort of 'red alert' that few would have expected but one can scarcely find fault for the method. About 30 minutes into the Indian nets here at The Oval, Virat Kohli started facing the red ball with batting coach Sanjay Bangar giving him some serious throwdowns. All this was just a day before the last warm-up game before the Champions Trophy which, otherwise, is a white ball feast.
Now it is a puzzle that is not difficult to decode but there were still a few unanswered questions. The general perception is that the move was to counter the swing that the team is expected to encounter in the wet conditions. Although the opinion is divided, traditionally, the red ball is more prone to swing than the white ball and with the weather transforming from being sunny to cloudy in no a trice, attempts to make adjustments to extra swing is not a bad idea. But the red ball treatment (with tape on one side) was reserved only for the skipper, not for other batsmen.
The other batsmen, barring Yuvraj Singh, faced the white ball and there were long sessions for Rohit Sharma and Kedar Jadhav, who joined the side on Sunday. Rohit may need some getting used-to to these conditions, and his role as an opener. Mind you, he was batting in the middle order in the IPL back home.
This being the last practice game before the big game against Pakistan at Edgbaston on Sunday, the team is ideally expected field its best XI that could feature in the first game. It means Yuvraj Singh, who has been laid low by fever since landing in London on May 26, may miss out on the Pakistan game. He is back in the team hotel after spending a few nights in the hospital.
Pak game just another match
Meanwhile, Jadhav said he would like to treat the Pakistan game just like any other game. The Maharashtra batsman has never played against archrivals but he claimed he has tried to stay immune to the hype surrounding the big game.
"As a professional cricketer, we don't involve our emotions. We have to play every game with the same amount of intensity. It's all about the crowd that creates this kind of an environment. It is good to see people coming to see the match. It's an India-Pakistan game. But for us as cricketers it is all about treating every game with the same intensity and treating every opponent with the same amount of respect," Jadhav explained.
Jadhav will be a key customer for India, particularly in the death overs. He could be called upon to do the finishing, a role that was once reserved for MS Dhoni till recently. But Jadhav is quite cool about the expectations. "I cannot throw my bat too early. You can do that in India and still find the middle of the bat. But here you need to stick close to your body and play under your head," he explained after a decent net session.
The curious part of the nets yesterday was the absence of the bowlers. Ravindra Jadeja turned up but he was there only for batting. He did now roll his arm at all.
Now finding the right bowling combination can be a tricky task for the skipper. With Jasprit Bumrah coming here in the back some excellent form (in the IPL), Bhuvneshwar Kumar deemed indispensable in these conditions because of his propensity to extract swing and R Ashwin and Jadeja perceived to be compulsory, who will be the fifth bowler is the point. It could be between Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav but we will know today when India take field against Bangladesh.