Aiming to draw level in the series at the second Test against Australia in Bengaluru, the Indian team kick-started their practice session with greater emphasis on close-in fielding here on Wednesday.
At the ‘B’ ground of the Chinnaswamy stadium, skipper Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane faced a stern test of their reflexes from the support staff.
India dropped as many as four catches off Steve Smith, allowing the Australian skipper to slam a match-winning century in the first Test in Pune.
“We had a chat about our close-in fielding and we are working on areas where we can do much better. We are looking forward to the this game and hopefully we can pull off those kind of catches that came our way in the first game,” said Vijay at a press conference.
Apart from catching practice, the players sweated it out in the ‘nets’ with top-order batsmen KL Rahul, Vijay and Kohli having a hit against the pacers and spinners.
Rahul, who was off the field for a while due to a shoulder strain during the first innings of the first Test, batted with confidence and looked in no discomfort.
Middle-order batsmen Rahane, who fell to left-arm spinner Steve O’ Keefe in both the innings of the first Test, decided to challenge himself against the spinners for an extended period.
Karun Nair, who was benched in the first Test, batted against the pacers for more than 30 minutes. Karun, who hit a triple century in the final Test against England, is eyeing a chance to break into the playing eleven again.
On the bowling front, Ishant Sharma had a long session while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav too stretched out their limbs.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks