Men In Blue May Be Humming, But The Kiwis Can't Be Taken Lightly

The momentum is with India as Williamson’s side has lost its last three matches in the league stage.

- K.C. Vijaya Kumar

Blue skies turned dull, cottony tufts of clouds sauntered in but the sun was out too at Old Trafford which geared up for Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal pitting India against New Zealand. A drizzle has been forecast, perhaps the rain gods are being naughty after having draped a wet curtain on the league fixture between the rivals at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge on June 13.

The weather isn’t exactly a cause for alarm plus there is a reserve day too though rains are predicted for Wednesday. Monday, not the manic one usually seen at Wimbledon, essentially was about the two teams putting a lid on big game angst. India had optional training and the workouts were more about relaxing the limbs than exerting them.

Sridhar means business

Mohammed Shami tried placing an energy drink bottle on Patrick Farhat’s bald head and the physio squirmed. M.S. Dhoni, padded up for a batting stint, couldn’t resist a kick when he sighted a football. Fun was the underlying theme but fielding coach R. Sridhar meant business as he made Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant run towards each other while taking high catches. The plan was to fine-tune the “it’s mine” calls in the deep as in the last game involving Sri Lanka, Kuldeep and Hardik Pandya nearly collided.