With international cricket as well as the Indian Premier League (IPL) suspended at least for the time being, Indian cricketers MS Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin have decided to train young cricketers online through coaching programmes at their academies, according to a Times of India report.
MS Dhoni Cricket Academy, where the former Indian cricketer is not directly involved with operations, is offering live classes on social media for the students since last week.
Meanwhile, at Ashwin's academy the students are being trained by the ace off-spinner himself through online sessions.
According to the report, the online coaching programmes are attracting huge interest due to the popularity of the game in the country.
Satrajit Lahiri, the chief coach at Dhoni academy, said that each video session is bringing close to 10,000 views across the social media platforms.
Lahiri, who is also a former first-class cricketer, said they are using an app ‘Cricketor’ wherein they upload their demo drills. “The trainees also need to upload their videos so that we can keep a tab on their activities. We give feedback accordingly,” said Lahiri.
According to Lahiri, the batsmen are required to repeatedly throw balls against a wall and play with soft hands. Meanwhile, the bowlers have been asked to perform drills without releasing the ball.
Cricketing activities globally remain suspended amid the novel coronavirus outbreak which has so far reported more than 200 deaths in the country.
(With inputs from IANS)
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