IND vs SL: Ravi Shastri adds a different hue to India team's training style

Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri center facing camera speaks to players before the beginning of the fourth day of the first test cricket match between India and Sri Lanka in Galle Sri Lanka Saturday July 29 2017 PicAPPTIAfter taking charge of the team in his second stint India coach Ravi Shastri has tweaked teams preparation style and though its early days an immediateimpact can be noticedA key implementation on Shastris part is how the batsmen are now ever ready to bat in the middle This has nothing to do with batting order instead a new practice of warming up before going down to the middleIt was evident in Galle itself when Shikhar Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund Indias pairing for the first Test reached the ground before the rest of the squad The mandate for them was to get to the nets and start hitting balls just in case India bat firstAs it turned out Kohli did win the toss and the amply warmedup Dhawan smashed 190 off 168 balls in the first inningsBy the time the openers went in Cheteshwar Pujara had completed this routine while Virat Kohli was in the nets It is a different approach to the previous regime of course and agreeably welcomed in the team as wellThe underlining aspect of this new thought process from coach Shastri is his belief that the team should exert its number one status on the fieldIndia were confirmed as the worlds number one ranked Test side under Anil Kumble romping to successive victories over the West Indies New Zealand England Bangladesh and AustraliaShastri has also brought forth a certain differentiation in the teams thinking in the short span of time that he has spent with them thus far In one of his first conversations with the team the coach had underlined the importance of enjoying the game before thinking of anything elseApparently he had asked the players to remember why they had started playing cricket and urged them to exhibit this passion on the fieldGiven the short timeframe of comparison it might be harsh to highlight Kumbles coaching approach as a bit too methodical if not mechanical Shastris first move has been to unshackle the players in his own inimitable way whilst keeping a tight leash on how things take their course within the dressing room And there is a keen example of this as wellFor some time now the Indian team has a standing rule that injuredill players will be given back their spots in the playing eleven when they make a successful return to the squad after proving their fitnessApparently in February when India were preparing to play Bangladesh Ajinkya Rahane returning from injury was not aware of his standing in the teams plans It was only after Kohli highlighted in the prematch press conference that Karun Nair despite his triple ton iquest would have to make way for the vicecaptain did a clearer picture emergeThere is much clarity now in keeping with how things shaped up couple years ago Earlier past week KL Rahul recovered sufficiently from his illness and joined the team in Galle He even frolicked with his colleagues on Sunday as the Indian players spent their afternoon at a resort near their team hotelAlthough the team management hasniquestt officially confirmed his return to full fitness it is expected that he will be part of the playing eleven at the SSC in Colombo when the second Test starts on August 3As such it becomes a problem of plenty India will once again have three fit and inform openers to choose from yet it is an easy guess the name expected to lose out