Nagpur Police Briefly Stop India’s Throwdown Specialist Raghu 

India will play the first match of the ODI series against England in Nagpur on February 6. Both teams continue their intensive preparations for Champions Trophy 2025, which starts on February 19 in Pakistan. India will play all their matches in Dubai. The team recently defeated England 4-1 in the T20I series. Compared to those clashes, the only change in its lineup was the inclusion of Harshit Rana in place of Jasprit Bumrah, who is out injured.

An Unexpected Situation 

The arrival of the Indian players in Nagpur was marked by an unexpected situation involving team throwdown specialist Raghavendra Dwivedi (‘Raghu’). As the entire team unloaded from the bus and headed to the hotel, he fell a little behind and was stopped by the police. Two officers blocked Raghu and did not want to let him pass, mistaking the specialist for a passerby. The media came to his rescue and pointed out their mistake to the policemen. Dwivedi had gotten off the bus with the players but was just a little behind them. 

Raghu himself was confident and optimistic about the situation, as evidenced by the smile on his face. The cops eventually dealt with the situation and let him into the hotel. However, this case proves that sometimes officials and law enforcement don’t appreciate enough the contribution of support staff to a team’s success. This was the case when the police did not recognize Raghu. 

An Indispensable Specialist 

It is worth recalling that Raghu has been associated with the Indian National Team since 2011. He is one of the key figures in the support staff.  The specialist is responsible for simulating real match conditions while practicing accurate shots to batsmen. Raghu is able to simulate any type of shot, from fast-paced bouncers to sharp spins. His expertise has had a significant impact on the Indian team’s success.