It’s the age of smart training. Teams prepare their module keeping in mind the conditions and the needs of the players. The modern-day cricketer is an athlete first and then a cricketer. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s training methods have always been about the specific needs of a player and not a banal process that’s obsolete now.

As the team hit the nets at the iconic Sharjah stadium, skipper Virat Kohli reminded his teammates about the intensity he expects from the players. Kohli clarified that a player is free to communicate if the workload increases but there needs to be high quality intense training.

“If we feel like that the workload is being high initially, we can communicate; but I want quality when we do lesser work. I don’t want guys running around for 2-2.5 hours and then feeling tired. Let’s reduce the workload but let’s do it with efficiency. I want to see the intensity in our practice sessions,” said Kohli ahead of the session.

Having trained at ICC Academy in Dubai, which is pleasant at times as the ground is open and thus quite windy after the sunset, Sharjah was a hot and humid affair due to the stands making it a packed experience for the team. However, the team liked the overall experience and was content with how the practice was planned.

“It was a good session; the intensity has picked up in the nets since the last few days. It feels good that the seniors are guiding us through this. They have been telling us how to build the intensity gradually after such a long gap.”

Bowling coach Adam Griffith too was satisfied with how the bowlers have gotten used to the conditions and are now getting ready physically for the challenge. “Going well. The hardest thing has been so much time off; particularly for fast bowlers, it’s about getting ready physically to execute their skills. We have had three sessions each now and they are going really well. They have picked it up pretty fast actually,” said Griffith.

With the schedule for Dream 11 IPL 2020 out now, teams are expected to hit the top gear in their practice sessions in the days to come. Royal Challengers Bangalore will start their season against Sunrisers Hyderabad on the 21st of September.