After five wins in five matches in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 tournament, India are set to clash with defending champions England in their sixth match of the campaign in Lucknow on Sunday, October 29. The veteran batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been the guiding lights for India, while Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and now Mohammed Shami have brought in the wickets for the two-time champions.
Before the squad flies to Lucknow for their next challenge, the Team India management decided to embark on another challenge of their own — trekking to Triund, a small hill station above Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, which is at a height of 2,828 metres.
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The BCCI shared a video of the trekking experience which had only the India head coach Rahul Dravid and his support staff. The players were discouraged from trekking to prevent any injury concerns.
Speaking in the video shared by the BCCI, head coach Dravid said, "Superb view coming here up to Triund. It's a challenging trek I must admit it. Once you come here, the views are spectacular. Incredible for the support staff to be able to come here, just a great day out as well. Unfortunately can't bring the boys up here, It will be too risky walking on those stones but hopefully when they are not playing some of the boys can come here."
"We've got so many places that are so rich in nature and diversity. Places that we can explore and are still beautiful and untouched. I really hope that we keep it that way and we can pass it on to the next generations for them to enjoy," he added.
"We started from a place called Galu, which is beyond McLeodGanj. The last trek is a little tricky. The last half hour is still hard, but the moment it opens up everything is worth it," said batting coach Vikram Rathour.
The outing comes after skipper Rohit made a strategic change by bringing in Mohammed Shami while giving an extra batting slot to Suryakumar Yadav, leaving out Shardul Thakur for the match against New Zealand.
Shami, in his first game of the World Cup 2023, clinched a five-wicket haul, advocating for his consistent spot in the Playing XI. This achievement elevated his total wickets to 35 in the ODI World Cup for India, ranking him third-highest. Notably, he's the maiden Indian bowler to secure two five-wicket feats in World Cup history.
India's journey in the World Cup has been nothing short of stellar. They've clinched the top spot on the points table with five back-to-back triumphs, demonstrating their expertise in all facets of the game against formidable opponents like Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand.
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