Manchester, July 21 (IANS) India skipper Shubman Gill revealed the conversation he had with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, sharing how the two leaders of their respective teams deal with pressure on and off the pitch.

The Indian men’s cricket team linked up with the Manchester United football team at their post-match training session on Sunday. Skipper Gill and his deputy Rishabh Pant were pictured in the Red Devils’ shirt taking a penalty.

“It’s very exciting when you are able to meet top athletes in the world from another sport. To get to know their stories is very inspiring, how you’re playing two different sports, but the mindset that you play with most of the time is very similar.

“He (Bruno) just told me that there is pressure at times but it’s kind of similar when you step onto the field, you don’t really think about all the things that people expect from you. It’s more about you to be able to enjoy your game and enjoy the sport that you love,” said Gill in a video posted by the Indian cricket team on Instagram.

While Gill and Bruno talked about the pressure, the two tacticians, Gautam Gambhir and Bruno Fernandes shared ideologies and how, despite coming from two different worlds, the essential core of team sports remains the same.

“
I’ve been here in 2014 as well. This is a completely different experience because you end up chatting with the players, you end up charting with Ruben as well, which which was a nice interaction that what his ideology is towards theme sport and what my ideology is, the basic foundation of a team sport is very similar, where I feel that I think it’s the player that adapts to what the team needs rather than the team that adapts to the individual and that is the culture which we want to play,” said Gambhir.

India spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is a known Liverpool fan, spoke with Amorim and asked him questions regarding the formation the Portuguese coach will play in the coming season.

“Ruben, I have been following him from Sporting and I asked him questions about the tactics, whether you going to stick with the 3-4-3 (formation) this season, and I had the chance to chat with Casemiro about how I admire him as a player,” said Kuldeep.

Although the team enjoyed their day at Carrington, their focus will be on the Manchester Test with injury woes coming out of the camp. On Monday, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the remaining two England Tests owing to a left knee injury.

Adding to India’s woes, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has been ruled out of the fourth Test against England at Manchester. To fill-up for Arshdeep’s absence, the Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj has been to the squad.

India’s preparations for the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford, starting July 23, have suffered another setback with fast bowler Akash Deep nursing an injury.

–IANS

aaa/bc