Routine workout for Indian players

	Players indulge in soccer on the penultimate day of the camp © Associated Press
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India's conditioning camp at the Chinnaswamy Stadium had visitors on its third day - a few expected, one slightly less so, but all very welcome. Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma, out of the 15-man ODI squad because of injuries and recuperating at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), were expectedly hanging around and catching up, but Anil Kumble made the surprise entry.

Irfan Pathan was another surprise, getting some work done on a minor injury, the nature of which is not known, which could push him out of the first two matches of the BCCI Corporate Trophy starting Tuesday. Gautam Gambhir was the man missing, for he had to leave to accept his Arjuna Award.

Neither of the four trained with the team. None was expected to. The 15-man squad, under the supervision of Gary Kirsten, went about its training in routine manner: a two-hour fielding and fitness session in the main ground in the morning, followed by a two-hour net session at the NCA ground. The open-wicket sessions, which were a feature of the camp last year, have so far been conspicuous by absence.

Kumble mostly stayed indoors with the team - either in the dressing room or in the NCA gym. Sehwag hollered in jest from the NCA balcony as the India players sweated it out at the nets. Sehwag is not yet allowed to use the bat, following the surgery on his shoulder. Irfan walked into the dressing room with brother Yusuf Pathan. Ishant Sharma, who has not had the best of times in limited-overs cricket of late, spent time after the nets session to practice his yorkers at a single stump and no batsman, with three green markers for what is the yorker length.

Sunday is the last day of the conditioning camp, after which the players disperse to play for their respective companies in the Corporate Trophy. Sachin Tendulkar and Yusuf, though, will enjoy a longer break as they are not employed by any companies participating in the event.