Champions Trophy 2017: Rohit Sharma seen practicing in the nets

Indian opener Rohit Sharma did not travel with the rest of the Indian team on Friday for the Champions Trophy, and thus several eyebrows were raised. The flamboyant batsman took special permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to stay back in order to be a part of a family wedding.

Due to this, Sharma missed the first warm-up game against New Zealand on Sunday but joined the team soon after was seen practising early on Monday. BCCI Tweeted a picture of him, captioning ‘The Hitman is BACK #TeamIndia #CT17 – @ImRo45’.

Although he did not have a very great IPL on the personal front with the bat, everyone would now want him to get into his groove by scoring runs in the second warm-up match against Bangladesh.

The Hitman is BACK #TeamIndia #CT17 – @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/UPWD6Sv4Ef

— BCCI (@BCCI) May 29, 2017

Virat Kohli also spends time in the nets 

BCCI also posted a picture of Indian captain Virat Kohli, gearing up to the nets. Kohli looked in good touch in the first warm-up on Sunday where he made a fifty but then heavy rains stopped play. India were declared winners by 45 via D/L method.

The run machine is geared up for net session- @imVkohli #TeamIndia #CT17 pic.twitter.com/sRdNp2NGap

— BCCI (@BCCI) May 29, 2017

Rohit Sharma – Shikhar Dhawan partnership will be important 

India will rely on the partnership between Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan; the duo that gave the team brilliant starts the last time they played the tournament in 2013 and Team India eventually went on to win the trophy. Since the pitches in England are high scoring ones, the batsmen will have the opportunity to put forward their best.

India will begin their quest to defend the trophy against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 4. The high voltage encounter is set to attract many viewers from across the world and especially the subcontinent. Pakistan team looks in good shape and it will not be an easy task to beat them. India will then play their other league fixtures against Sri Lanka and South Africa and if the batsmen put their best show up, the road to the semis does not be a difficult one.