Virat Kohli and co. had their first nets session after completing their mandatory six-days quarantine on Tuesday. BCCI shared a video of the players practicing at Chepauk, in which the players can be seen engaged in 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.
Team bonding
Regroup after quarantine
A game of footvolley #TeamIndia enjoys a fun outing at Chepauk ahead of the first Test against England. - by @RajalArora #INDvENGWatch the full video https://t.co/fp19jq1ZTI pic.twitter.com/wWLAhZcdZk
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 2, 2021
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."
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The Indian players assembled for their first practice as a full group after three RT-PCR tests for Covid-19 returned negative.
Meanwhile, the England squad also returned negative results in their third coronavirus test done on Sunday and is out of quarantine.
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England's premier all-rounder Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Rory Burns had already begun their preparations for the upcoming series on Saturday. The trio had arrived to India before the remaining England squad, who were engaged in a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
IND vs ENG: Virat Kohli one century away from overtaking Ricky Ponting to create world record
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.
- with ANI inputs
