Team India enjoy day off with yacht ride to Rottnest Island ahead of T20 World Cup | Watch

The Indian cricket team spent their off day in Rottnest Island, located near Perth in Australia amidst preparation for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

In a video shared by BCCI on Wednesday, the Rohit Sharma-led squad, alongside head coach Rahul Dravid and the support staff can be seen enjoying their time on the island. Speaking about their trip, India’s mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton shared the idea behind the initiative and how it helped the players to clear their minds ahead of the high-octane World Cup.

“So the plan for today was really just to get away from the game to have a mental refresher. So we got on a Yacht, and kind of crossed the Rottnest Island, about a 16 km trip. On the island, we had a magnificent lunch here and a nice opportunity to celebrate Hardik’s birthday,” Paddy said in the video. As revealed by the coach, Team India celebrated star allrounder Hardik Pandya’s birthday on October 11 during their time on the island. 

Meanwhile, India coach Rahul Dravid also shared his thoughts on the exciting trip and revealed that a few players got slightly sick due to the yacht ride, but enjoyed their time on the island. “It was challenging getting here. Yacht ride, choppy water wasn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea, my neither but once we got here its a beautiful island, a beautiful place. Just a good opportunity for everyone in the group to have a day off and unwind the three pretty hectic days since we have been here in Perth," he said in the video. 

Indian cricketers try their hand at Lawn Bowls and spend time with Quokkas

In the video, the team India players can be seen playing the game of Lawn Bowls which became famous in the country after India’s enthralling medal-winning performance of the sport at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

“Just finished a game of lawn bowls, which was new to most people. Lot of them looked like very amateur bowlers at the start but picked up pretty quickly. Now we are going to have a look at some Quokkas, the local animal here and then hop on a boat and go back. It was really just about getting away from the game, having a refresher, having some time to bond and have a laugh together before the big tournament,” Paddy added.

'A very productive day for us': India captain Rohit Sharma

Towards the end of the video, skipper Rohit Sharma shed his thoughts and said, “It was a great experience to be on this Rottnest Island. It is always nice when you are on a tour to have the team together and get some activity done. It was a very productive day for us."

While the Men In Blue kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 23, they are scheduled to face Western Australia on Thursday, followed by the games against Australia and New Zealand as a warm-up for the World Cup.

India's outing at the Rottnest Island | Watch