A new wave of hope has swept through the sports community around the world with restrictions slowly being lifted. Some leagues have resumed or are about to, very soon. The English contingent in the Rajasthan Royals squad have begun preparations for their Test series against the Windies in July. Let’s circle around what our players have been up to over the last few weeks.
For a large part of the lockdown in England, Ben Stokes was training indoors or right outside his house. Once the England Cricket Board allowed players to train at grounds, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands and moved base to a stadium nearby. Stokesy hurled in a few deliveries during his brief session. On the other hand, we decided to shake things up with one of the training videos he posted.
Anuj Rawat, the young Rajasthan Royals dasher from Delhi hit the nets to get back in his groove as well. His session included some crunchy drives and flicks that will leave you wanting for more.
Jofra Archer has been the latest Royal to train as part of England’s preparation for the West Indies Tests. He seemed to have got into his groove pretty soon, as he bowled some accurate deliveries and disturbed the furniture on a few occasions. Archer was nippy, quick and this ball will prove that nothing’s changed about this superstar.
While Robin Uthappa has been recording podcasts and attending webinars for Rajasthan Royals, he’s also been keeping himself fit with regular work-outs. He is surely getting ready to hit some massive sixes for when cricket returns.
When you can’t find an inclined treadmill, just use the slopes provided by nature. The young Akash Singh took to what looks like a tiny hill for his climbing drills. One of the fastest runners in the squad, he didn’t seem to have much trouble against gravity either.
The first week of June also saw a few birthdays in the Royals camp. Our skipper, Steve Smith turned 31 on June 2nd, and we compiled some of his best moves on the field and off it into a fun video. Two days later, we pulled something out of our vault to celebrate Ben Stokes’ birthday. Let us know what you think of him in this traditional attire.
Gradually, we will see many more Royals take the field to train. We are all hoping for the situation to improve so that we can have cricket up and running and hopefully prepare for an IPL later this year as well. The players are keeping themselves in shape while staying safe. We wish the same for all of you as well. Halla Bol!
