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 had their first training session at the old Test venue in Perth – the WACA – less than two weeks before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. The series opener will be played at the Optus Stadium, about three kilometres away, starting November 22.
Indian cricketers Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah during a training session(PTI)
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant were the prominent personalities present at the nets when certain social media posts from Australian journalists in Perth went viral. Jaiswal, 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, seniors like Kohli – the first player from the Test squad to reach Perth, having arrived in the city on Sunday – Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, and a few others remained absent from the session. According to a report in The West Australian, this was primarily because they opted to rest after India cancelled the compulsory training session. 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, and cricket staff at the venue were barred from using their mobile phones outside the offices or filming inside the ground.
Even Cricket Australia was left in the dark about India’s early arrival in Perth. 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 had amped up the privacy settings at the venue, where WACA construction workers were banned from filming or even watching the training sessions.
