Dhoni's men hit the ground running

After watching the opening match being washed away in the rain-hit port city in Kerala, it was a pleasant surprise for the cricketers when they arrived in this coastal Andhra city which, only on Sunday, had witnessed heavy rains. Confined to their hotel rooms for the last four days, the Indian players, who were received by hundreds of school kids clad in blue at the airport, straightaway hit the ground in the evening.

The entire team was in attendance and went through the rigours for close to two hours under lights, monitored by coach Gary Kirsten and other members of the support staff. However Australia, who too haven’t had an outdoor session since the second Test in Bangalore, chose to stay put in the comforts of their hotel.  

Despite Sunday’s downpour, the two-match-old ground looked in perfect shape and the lush green outfield presented a remarkably different picture from the rain-ravaged slushy, muddy Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi.

The stadium, which hosted the second edition of the BCCI Corporate Trophy semifinals and final recently, will also be staging its first day-night encounter come Wednesday.