Indian cricketers get basketball tips from Miami Heats’ cagers

Florida, August 25 

Ahead of the two-match T20 series against West Indies, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar visited the home of American basketball team Miami Heats.

The trio were hosted by Tyler Johnson and Briante Weber, the latest recruit of the Miami Heats, at their home ground — The American Airlines Arena.

The Indian contingent was taken around the locker room, gymnasium and the recuperation centre before indulging in a brief bout of play between the five of them. Shikhar and Bhuvneshwar were chatting up with the hosts, while Ashwin seemed to have gone back to his school days of playing basketball.

"I've played a bit of basketball during my school days, so that got me really excited while I tried my hand again after so many years. I am thankful to both Weber and Johnson for taking time out and showing us around their home turf," Ashwin said.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar said: "It was great to see these guys and learn about their game. I was impressed with the facilities here and it was a learning experience for me to see the amount of technology being used in sports science."

"It was great fun. I am very happy we could make it here,” said Shikhar Dhawan. “Exchanging thoughts about how the sports has transformed with the latest technology is always good. While I tried to explain to these guys how cricket is played, they in return taught me the finer details of basketball."

The other Indian players had a field day in the new country as some of them went around shopping, while a few others chose to relax at the hotel. The social media handles of players and the BCCI were active with posts and pictures ever since they landed in the USA. The southern coast of the USA was buzzing after the Indian cricket team arrived in the city of Fort Lauderdale to play the two T20Is against West Indies at the Central Broward Regional Park on August 27 and 28. — PTI