India's hopes of preparing for the important second Test, beginning here on Friday, received a wet blow when incessant rains forced them to scamper to the indoor nets at the National Cricket Centre in Loughborough, some 30 minutes’ drive from their original destination -- Trent Bridge.
But that did not prevent the Indians from sweating it out at the well-equipped indoor nets, the facilities leaving them impressed.
“You will hardly get such facilities in India in indoors. There are six strips to bat, plus you can field as well. We are very happy with the facilities, and hopefully, the weather will clear up in the subsequent days," Yuvraj Singh said after spending nearly two hours at the nets.
Notable absentee
A notable absentee was former skipper Sourav Ganguly. The Kolkatan, who was present with the rest of the team, did not participate in the proceedings due to a stiff back.
"Sourav has got a stiff back since this morning, and he did not take much strain at the practice session. At this point, there is nothing to worry about, and he should be able to train on Thursday. Physio John Gloster is keeping a keen eye on him," media manager Rufus Rocky said.
Yuvraj said the mood in the dressing room was upbeat. "It's been good. Obviously, we are disappointed that we didn't get too many runs on the board, but a draw is a draw. The bowling has been good generally and we are confident of doing well in the second Test," he said.
The middle-order batsman said the team needed to stitch together some big partnerships, something that was missing in the first Test at Lord's. "We need to have some big partnerships, and we are looking forward to it. The Lord's wicket was quite a good pitch to bat on but after the rain, it suddenly changed. We have played here before and know things like these can happen. We thought if we had good partnerships from the top four, then we could go on to chase. But if we lost early wickets, the idea was to settle for a draw.
Geared up
"All our batsmen are obviously geared up and we know that we need to get a big score on the board. The last time we toured here, all our batsmen got big runs, we know what to do. Hopefully, we are prepared. We just need to go out and perform," he added. 
Yuvraj said the weather would be a key factor in the second Test. "It's been raining over here in Nottingham, it is going to be a fresh start. The first Test match is history now; it is a new day and a new Test match, and anything can happen. We are looking forward getting runs on the board and looking to take some early wickets. It can make a difference," he said.
On his own chances of making it into the eleven, Yuvraj said, "That is not in my hands; I have to wait for my chances."