Cricket

Soon after Chennai win, Cheteshwar Pujara and Hardik Pandya seen practising with pink ball

PTI

CHENNAI: Cheteshwar Pujara and Hardik Pandya got down to working with the pink ball right after India's thumping win in the second Test against England here on Tuesday, preparing for the upcoming day/night game in earnest.

India's 317-run hammering of England meant they have restored parity after the loss in the series opener and the hosts would like to consolidate their position in the third Test, starting in Ahmedabad from February 24.

The two were seen batting inside the M A Chidambaram Stadium.

All-rounder Pandya, who has not played a Test since the one against England in 2018, batted against the likes of Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham and Shahbaz Nadeem, who were on stand-by for the first two matches.

While Test specialist Pujara occasionally took on the spinners by going down the wicket, Pandya went for the big hits after some defensive play.

Pujara made 21 and 7 in the two innings of the second Test.

They faced the pink ball for about 45 minutes with batting coach Vikram Rathour and fielding coach R Sridhar keeping an eye on the two players.

Pandya also did a few laps of the ground.

Pace ace Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for the second Test, bowled with the pink ball.

All-rounder Washington Sundar, who too missed the series-levelling victory, was also seen practicing with the coloured ball during a break at Chepauk.

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