Sunrisers Hyderabad have a reason to be in a tad better mindset going into Thursday’s clash against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.
Like the Knight Riders, the Sunrisers too will be under pressure after being on the receiving end in their season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy last Saturday. However, the way their regular captain Pat Cummins showed up during training at Eden Gardens on Tuesday should instil some belief in the visitors’ camp.
Cummins, who missed his team’s opener against RCB alongside the T20 World Cup and four of the five Ashes Tests Down Under due to a lumbar stress injury, appeared for a fitness test for around a quarter of an hour.
Following the fitness test, he headed to the nets and bowled for at least half-an-hour to Ishan Kishan, Travis Head and the like.
Cummins appeared for a Bronco test, a high-intensity running-based fitness drill widely used in rugby to evaluate aerobic endurance, speed and mental grit.
Athletes usually perform five continuous laps of 20,
40 and 60-metre shuttles (1,200m in total), aiming to finish ideally under five-to-six minutes.
The BCCI, too, had introduced the Bronco test for Team India cricketers last year.
For the Sunrisers, though, given how Cummins went about during Tuesday’s practice, they may not have to wait too long for the senior pacer’s return to the XI.
