India head coach Ravi Shastri on Tuesday spent some time playing catch with his "buddy" Winston after the conclusion of the team's practice session at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Shastri also shared a video of the same on his official Twitter handle. "Our buddy Winston earns himself a tennis ball after #TeamIndia's practice session," Shastri captioned the video on the microblogging site. In the one-minute-long clip, Shastri can be seen giving instructions and fetching the ball to his fluffy friend.
The short clip was a big hit on social media as it was watched more than 34,000 times in less than two hours of being posted. Shastri's tweet garnered more than 5,700 likes and was retweeted over 350 times.
Responding to the post, a fan said, "Winston's running like a tracer bullet." The user also dropped two red-hearts and smiling face emojis in the comment section.
"Hope he's there at the Bowl to cheer India during the Final," wrote another user.
"Winston's a handsome dude and we love you Ravi," said another fan in the comment box.
"Amazing Ravi shastri ji. Best wishes for the world test championship to our family Indian cricket team. Chek de India," wrote another user.
Meanwhile, Team India will start their lengthy England tour with the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand on June 18. Ahead of the summit clash, India played a 3-day intra-squad match to prepare for the event. On Monday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of the highlights from the practice match.
"The third day of intra-squad match simulation was about settling down and finding that rhythm," BCCI captioned the video.
The Kane Williamson-led New Zealand are enjoying their four-day rest ahead of the marquee event. They have just completed a two-match Test series against England, which concluded on June 13. New Zealand won the series 1-0.