India and Pakistan Train Side by Side in Dubai… But Refuse to Meet
India and Pakistan trained side by side in Dubai but avoided contact ahead of their Asia Cup 2025 clash, focusing only on their own preparations.
With only days left for the India-Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup 2025, both teams trained at the ICC Academy in Dubai. India were at one ground while Pakistan practised at the adjacent one.
On Saturday evening, the Pakistan team arrived to prepare for their tri-series final against Afghanistan in Sharjah. At the same time, the Indian team were already in training at the same venue but on a different ground, according to ESPNCricinfo.
Despite being close, players from both sides did not interact. Fans had expected some greetings, as seen in the past, but no exchanges took place this time.
Unlike earlier occasions when players shared camaraderie, neither side approached the other. India had an intense session at the Academy. The players spent hours in range-hitting drills.
Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya bowled to Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Tilak Varma.
The session lasted about four hours and included the Bronco fitness test. Local net bowlers were also involved. Jitesh Sharma appeared to be preferred ahead of Sanju Samson.
Coach Gautam Gambhir worked closely with Jitesh, guiding him on shots like scoops and pickups. Samson, meanwhile, mostly faced throwdowns and spent time on the sidelines.
India have a rest day on Sunday. They are scheduled for two more practice sessions before their opening Asia Cup game against the UAE on September 10 in Dubai.
