Mastering art of leaving in practice

NET sessions sometimes work as a giant book of revelation.

- GOMESH S MELBOURNE

The sessions can reveal what's been discussed inside the dressing room. What is on a batter's mind; or what line a bowler would be looking at or what length he would prefer. On Saturday in Melbourne, India batters were trying to plug a hole that led to their demise more often than not. They were focused on leaving the ball alone outside off stump.

A cold, breezy Saturday welcomed the India cricket team to Melbourne. The conditions did not deter Rohit Sharma and Co from sweating it out during the intense training session in the first half of the day here. Having arrived in the city after the draw in Brisbane, India had a rest day before turning up at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In what was a full-strength session, the focus was largely on leaving the ball as much as possible while trying to cover the off-stump, especially for the top-order batters.