Kuldeep Yadav celebrates his second wicket with Ravindra Jadeja and Dhruv Jurel on the opening day. com in Colombo: Every time a Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) XI batter hit a boundary, Mohammed Nilam made his presence felt at the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) Ground.
The Sri Lankan super fan was in the thick of things throughout the opening day of the three-day warm-up match between India and SLC XI." I remember we met in Delhi during the Test.
com on the sidelines. It was a pleasant winter afternoon in December when almost every Indian cricketer, including Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane, stopped by to greet the cheerful Nilam.
His love for Indian cricket remains unwavering, even though his heart beats for Sri Lanka. Dressed in an Indian cricket team training jersey, he cheered enthusiastically for the home side.
Right behind him, a handful of NCC members were enjoying their weekend with juices flowing and the music was just loud enough to enhance the ambience. After a humid morning, the conditions became pleasant, making it a very watchable afternoon of cricket.
Sri Lankan superfan Mohammed Nilam cheering from the sidelines on the opening day of the three-day warm-up match between India and SLC XI. (Photo: Sahil Malhotra) Just like the Colombo weather, the Indian bowlers too found their length in the afternoon session, making the contest between bat and ball gripping.
Kuldeep Yadav, in particular, competed with Nilam for the loudest cry in the middle. He had plenty of loud shouts while testing the middle order on a pitch that was hard work for the bowlers.
From Mohammed Siraj to Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Kuldeep, every bowler took time before finding their rhythm. Saransh Jain followed a similar script, becoming the seventh bowler used that day.
Strangely, Auqib Nabi, who has joined the team as a replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah, didn't get an opportunity to roll his arm over and continued on drinks duty with the rest of the support staff and the net bowlers. The management didn't feel the need to give the J&K bowler a warm-up before the series, indicating the direction they are looking to explore for the upcoming two fixtures.
Auqib Nabi was on drinks duty with the rest of the support staff and the net bowlers. (Photo: Sahil Malhotra) There was rotation behind the stumps too.
