Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 2 (ANI): Ahead of the first test against England here, the Indian cricket team enjoyed a “fun outing” at Chepauk on Tuesday, and players were seen playing a game of ‘footvolley’.
“Team bonding, Regroup after quarantine, A game of footvolley. #TeamIndia enjoys a fun outing at Chepauk ahead of the first Test against England,” BCCI tweeted while sharing a video of players.
The Indian cricket team began their nets session on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming four-match Test series against England, beginning February 5 at Chennai. The Virat Kohli-led India squad had their first outdoor training session on Monday.
In the video, Nick Webb, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, said: “The plan was basically to just get the guys out. They were stuck in their room for six days and were limited to their treadmills and bikes for the last three days. So, we wanted to get them out and just get them moving.”
Whereas, Soham Desai, Strength and Conditioning coach, in the video said: “The guys who came from Australia had only three-four days at home. So, we did not want to stress them with programs to do at home while they were with their families. They did not have any physical preparation. So, this was just an additional day we got to get them moving.”
Three RT-PCR tests for coronavirus were conducted at regular intervals and all the Indian players had tested negative. Meanwhile, the England squad also returned negative results in their third coronavirus test done on Sunday and is out of quarantine. The Joe Root led squad will begin training on Tuesday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
“England PCR Test Results – 1 February 2021. All PCR tests from yesterday’s test have returned negative results. The England party is now out of quarantine and will train for the first time as a full group at the stadium tomorrow afternoon 2 pm-5 pm (IST),” said England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) media team on Monday.
Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Rory Burns began their training for the first Test against India on Saturday as the trio had arrived earlier after being rested for the Sri Lanka tour.
India and England are set to lock horns in four Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is. The first two games of the Test series will be played in Chennai before the cricketers move to Ahmedabad for the third and fourth Test.
The second Test between India and England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, slated to begin from February 13 will have 50 per cent crowd in attendance, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) secretary RS Ramasaamy confirmed on Monday. Earlier in the day, a BCCI official confirmed that fans would be allowed inside the Motera Stadium for the third and fourth Test between India and England. (ANI)
