The Indian team led by Rohit Sharma has decided for an optional practice session tomorrow, two days before their campaign opener against arch-foes Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the iconic 1,00,000-odd capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Will the Indians be slightly under-cooked or have they had sufficient preparations for what promises to be a no-holds barred Super 12 Group 2 contest on Sunday is the intriguing question looking back into their recent record against Pakistan.

Sharma and his men came to Australia immediately at the conclusion of the three-game T20 series against South Africa at Indore on October 4 after competing against Australia at home in the same format over three matches.

They played a few practice games in Perth before taking on hosts-cum-defending champions Australia in the first of two warm-up games arranged by the International Cricket Council in Brisbane which they won.

But the scheduled second and last game in the preparatory phase was washed out in Brisbane yesterday, thus affecting their practice plans.

The team flew into Melbourne today and did not practice while an optional training session has been scheduled tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the qualifying phase for the T12 stage is also reaching a climax tomorrow before Australia take on trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in the opening game of the second stage of the mega event on Saturday in Group 1 to kick start the defence of the title that they won in November 2021 in the United Arab Emirates.

However, there seems to be a distinct lack of buzz for the tournament in this capital city of the state of Victoria.

The footie or Australian Rules Football season has just ended and, although the first class Sheffield Shield tournament is on, the World T20 seems to be waiting to grab the peoples’ attention, as per the local sports lovers here.

The ICC, however, expects the mega T20 event to be hugely successful.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup CEO Michelle Enright said ahead of the tournament that “the response from fans has been exceptional and shows the excitement for what will be the biggest sporting event hosted in Australia this year.”

The tickets have been priced low, especially for children’s sake, he has declared.

“We’re particularly proud of our accessibly priced tickets for families and it’s great to see that so many kids are going to come out and experience a World Cup.

“There are still some great tickets available, so I’d encourage everyone who hasn’t secured their seats to jump on board for what will be an unmissable event,” he said.

The India v Pakistan game at the huge, 169-year-old MCG, the largest stadium in the southern hemisphere, is already a sell-out event as also the next game at the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 27 featuring India against a qualifier from the first stage (Group A runners-up).

Fans from 82 different countries have purchased tickets for the tournament, according to the ICC.

India’s subsequent matches in the Super 12 round robin second stage are scheduled against South Africa in the Perth Stadium at Perth on October 30, Bangladesh in the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide on November 2 and against another qualifier (Group B winners) at the MCG here on November 6.

The two semi-finals are scheduled to take place at Sydney (November 9) and Adelaide (November 10). The final is slated to be held at the MCG here on November 13.