World Test Championship final

06 Jun 2021

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Sunday had his first outdoor training session at the Ageas Bowl even as his teammates continue to isolate in their hotel rooms ahead of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final in Southampton.

The Indian cricket team entered the bio-bubble in England after landing in London on June 3 and is currently staying put at The Hilton Ageas Bowl hotel which is attached to the cricket stadium. The Indian touring party had quarantined in Mumbai for 14 days last month before departing for the United Kingdom.

The players now have a beautiful panoramic view of the ground from their room's balconies, something which all the members of the Indian contingent seem to be in love with, judging from their social media posts.

Jadeja was one of the first Indian players allowed to train at the ground and he took to social media to give the update to his fans. The left-arm spinner bowled on one of the practice pitches and even had one of the support staff members for company.

"First outing in Southampton," Jadeja wrote as he posted a series of pictures from his practice session.

It is still not clear as to when the entire Indian squad can train together for the WTC Final where they will take on New Zealand from June 18. Apart from their outdoor sessions, the players have also been provided with gym equipments inside their hotel rooms so that they can maintain their fitness levels while staying in isolation.

The players' activity will be allowed in a gradually increasing manner after each round of negative Covid-19 testing, moving from exercising in isolation to small groups and then larger squad activities, whilst always remaining within the bio-secure environment.