Chennai (PTI): India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his teammates, except for off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, had a rigorous practice session for more than two hours at the MA Chidambaram stadium here amid tight security ahead of their first Test against England on Monday.
Sachin Tendulkar and Ishant Sharma were late by about 15 minutes in joining their teammates at the 150-minute practice session that started at 1400 hrs this afternoon. They first had light exercises including running a lap of the ground around the boundary before hitting the nets.
Tamil Nadu stars S Badrinath and M Vijay were the first to pad up for batting practice at the nets, followed by Rahul Dravid, Dhoni, Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. All the players had hits at the fast track and the spin strip for about 10 minutes each.
Dhoni was also seen behind the stumps at the spin track, while Laxman was seen getting batting practice with a soft ball threw at him by coach Gary Kirsten.