Sports

Anything in excess of 300 is a "very good" total considering the conditions in Dubai and with no dew around, the team batting second will be under more pressure, said India vice-captain Shubman Gill on Saturday ahead of the marquee clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.

Though India have dominated Pakistan in the world events and also in the recent past, the match continues to generate plenty of hype. India won their tournament opener against Bangladesh but Pakistan lost to New Zealand in their first match, putting them in a must-win situation on Sunday.

Dew has played a big role in Dubai in the past but Gill said it won't be a factor in the clash between the arch-rivals and the team batting second will face the heat more.

Former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid on Saturday padded up with his son Anvay to play for Vijaya Cricket Club (Malur) in a Third Division (Group I) match for the Nassur Memorial Shield.

Dravid senior, who came to bat at No 6, made 10 off eight balls with a boundary but Anvay scored 58 off 60 balls with eight fours as Vijaya amassed 345 for seven against Young Lions Club.

Swapnil was the top run-getter for the club with a 50-ball 107 with 12 fours and four sixes. Anvay is a wicketkeeper-batter, while Samit, the elder son of Dravid, is a pace-bowling all-rounder. AG Aditya took four wickets (4/60) for the Young Lions.

Dravid, who was in Guwahati for the Rajasthan Royals’ pre-season camp, returned to Bengaluru a couple of days ago.

There are several instances of father-son duo playing in the same match at various levels such as WG Grace-Grace Jr, Lala-Surinder Amarnath, Dennis-Adam Lillee, Denis-Heath Streak, Shivnarine-Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Ian-Liam Botham among others.

Giving an insight into how he keeps match-fit even at the age of 34, Indian bowling stalwart Mohammed Shami says he prefers to eat only one meal a day and has never had a craving for delicacies.

"After 2015, I only have one meal a day. I only have dinner; no breakfast, no lunch. It is very difficult to do such a thing but once you get used to it then it becomes very easy," said Shami in an interaction with cricketer-turned-commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu on 'Star Sports'. Shami said he gained quite a bit of weight during the recovery phase and had to shed nearly nine kgs to get back into shape.

"I have lost nine kgs (during rehabilitation). The most difficult thing is you have to challenge yourself. When you are in this condition... when I was at the NCA, it was a very difficult phase," "My weight was touching 90kgs. The best thing about me is that I do not crave for delicacies. I stay away from sweets. I stay away from a lot of things, things that generally one shouldn't eat. So, I stay away from them," said Shami, who will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility in India's clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday.

Shami, who has claimed 55 wickets across three ODI World Cups and became the eighth Indian to reach 200 wickets in one-day cricket, added that despite his strict regimen he does enjoy his biryani once in a while.