Date:12/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/12/stories/2008081255061800.htm

Sport - Cricket

ODI specialists work on handling spin

Bangalore: The focus was obviously on countering spin. With Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan scything through India’s Test batting line-up in Sri Lanka, M.S. Dhoni and the other ODI specialists buckled down and practised against spinners from the KSCA and the NCA under-19 ranks as the two-day preparatory camp commenced at the National Cricket Academy here on Monday.

Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar and Virat Kohli were present while the rest of the ODI players are already in Sri Lanka as part of the Test squad.

The morning session was a blend of fitness-review and nets. Later in the afternoon, NCA director Dav Whatmore and the support staff ran the fielding drills.

The accent was on pick-up-and-throws and catches in the deep. Praveen Kumar nursed his palms with an ice-pack but sources at the academy said that there was no room for concern and that it was a routine niggle. The players wound up their day with a stint at the gym.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s S. Badrinath will join the camp on Tuesday. Badrinath has been drafted into the 16-member squad as a replacement for an injured Sachin Tendulkar. — Principal Correspondent