SYDNEY: It's amazing how the Sydney Cricket Ground manages to straddle eras, with the government of New South Wales and the SCG Trust having consciously refrained from turning this iconic stadium into a drab concrete block, like so many other cricket stadiums across the world.
The SCG retains some of its character from 1848 even, and also the separate men's and women's icons on the railings of the two pavilions. The wicket gates too have been left intact in places.
India's 1992 World Cup jersey gets pride of place inside the museum, but there is no T20I memorabilia. The format is too new to really bother the SCG's curators. Rohit Sharma and Co. , who had their first nets session and found that the rain had followed them from Melbourne to Sydney, may have something to say about that.
India's nets was an optional affair, with Hardik Pandya, who had been cramping up during the final stages of the match against Pakistan on Sunday, being rested. Also opting out of training were pacers Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and left-arm spinner Axar Patel, ahead of what is expected to be a rather one-sided outing against the Netherlands. Instead, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul had intense sessions, while Siraj and Harshal Patel did pace duties.
If the team management decides to wrap Pandya in cotton wool for more important games, the likes of Deepak Hooda may fancy their chances here. Rishabh Pant too went through the routines but where does he fit in?
There is no practice slated a day ahead of the match, which means this was India's final preparation heading into Thursday's game. Given that there is a 40% chance of rain and the chance of a thunderstorm on match day, India will be hoping the rain gods will smile at them again, like at the MCG.
