The Indian men's cricket squad had a day off to remember on Sunday when they called at Manchester United's training facility at Carrington, where they were greeted by players and coaches of the legendary football club.
Vice-captain Rishabh Pant and captain Shubman Gill were spotted wearing United shirts and even participating in a penalty shootout drill.
"It's really exciting when you get a chance to meet world-class athletes from a different sport. To learn about their life is very inspiring, how you're playing two sports but the attitude which you play most of the times is quite same," Gill explained in a video uploaded by the official Instagram page of the Indian team.
He also added that his dialogue with United midfielder Bruno Fernandes enlightened him about the common experience of playing under pressure. "He (Bruno) simply told me that there is pressure at times but it's sort of similar when you come onto the field, you don't actually think about all the things that people expect of you.". It's all about you to be in a position to enjoy your game and appreciate the sport that you are so passionate about," Gill explained.
A very interesting exchange also took place between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and Manchester United superstar Bruno Fernandes, as both captains shared insights on leadership and team philosophy across sports.
"I've been here in 2014 as well.". That is totally different because you end up speaking with the players, you end up speaking with Ruben as well, which was a pleasant interaction—that what his philosophy is towards team sport and what my philosophy is," Gambhir elucidated. "The underlying framework of a team sport is quite similar, where I believe that it's the player that fits into what the team requires and not the team fitting into what the individual requires and that is the culture that we wish to play."
Spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is an ardent Liverpool fan, also connected with the cross-sport interaction, taking the chance to talk to Manchester United's manager Ruben Amorim and midfielder Casemiro.
"Ruben, I have been monitoring him since he was at Sporting and I was inquiring about the tactics, whether you are going to maintain the 3-4-3 (formation) this season, and I got to speak with Casemiro regarding how much I admire him as a player," Kuldeep stated.
In spite of the light-hearted excursion, India's team has been struck with injury worries for the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford on July 23. On Monday, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was formally ruled out of the remainder of the series after sustaining a left knee injury.
Joining the growing roster of setbacks, also under observation is fast bowler Akash Deep after sustaining an injury, casting doubt over his participation as India gears up for a crucial game in Manchester.
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