New Delhi: Team India has reportedly asked for a ban on open training sessions for the remainder of their tour of Australia after the unruly conduct of the fans and general public during their practice session in Adelaide on Tuesday. Around 5,000 fans flocked in to watch the Indian cricket team stars train in the open nets at the Adelaide Oval ahead of the 2nd Test against Australia, a day-night contest.
Hundreds of fans stood near the India nets, cheering and jeering the players as they trained under the lights ahead of the all-important day-night Test match. The training was taking place in the outdoor nets right outside the Adelaide Oval in Yarra Park which is a public space. Training at the MCG always takes place in the open due to the outdoor nets.
While most of the Indian players, including star batter Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma got loud cheers from fans during the training session, the majority of the Indian players were distracted by the constant requests from fans for pictures and their unruly commentary from the outside. Many Indian players were laughed at and mocked for their mishits and dismissals during the nets session.
The unruly behaviour from the crowd has thus prompted the Indian team to decide to ban open net sessions for the rest of their tour of Australia. As per a report in The Age, only media professionals will be allowed to watch India’s training sessions while the Australian team will continue to train in the open with fans present.
“A source close to the Board of Control for Cricket in India indicated that players were also subjected to requests for selfies while they were batting, constant commentary of their actions in close proximity and some were mocked or laughed at after missing the ball or getting out,” stated a report in The Age.
A Cricket Australia (CA) spokesperson confirmed to the Australian newspaper that the Indian team management has asked for their remaining training sessions to not be open to the public to avoid such instances and let their players focus on their preparations for the matches.
India aim for 2nd consecutive win in Adelaide
India are currently lead the five-match Test series 1-0 after beating Australia comprehensively by 295 runs in the first Test in Perth. The visitors will be looking to continue their winning run in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide to make it two wins in a row. India have so far played four day-night Test matches and won three. Their only defeat in a pink-ball Test came against Australia in Adelaide Test in 2020.
Indian team has reportedly asked for a ban on open training sessions for their remainder of tour to Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 after the players were bothered with selfie requests and constant challering from the fans during an open session on Tuesday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
