With the practice pitches at the Chepauk stadium severely harmed due to Cyclone Vardah, England's premier batsman Joe Root showed the way as he decided to take throwdowns on the cemented road.
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) had expressed regret as it was practically impossible to get the practice pitches ready for a proper net session after the devastating cyclone had ravaged the city, damaging the properties of the stadium.
While most of the players of the two teams did some fielding practice, Root was not ready to let go a chance to do some knocking. To everyone's surprise, Root took two of the team's support staff including the throwdown expert and they zeroed in a cemented road inside the stadium compound.
The road being a smooth one, Root started taking throwdowns. They got hold of a turf ball normally used for concrete pitches where the players practice pull or hook shots.
Root was seen hitting a backfoot drive through the cover region. In fact, England and Wales Cricket Board's official twitter handle also posted a video of Root's unique net session. "No nets? No problem...@root66 will practice anywhere," ECB tweeted.
In fact the official twitter handle also complimented the efforts put in by the TNCA and its staff for getting the ground ready post Cyclone Vardah. "The ground staff are doing a fine job readying the stadium for Friday's Test after the devastation caused by Cyclone Vardah," they had tweeted.
In fact, earlier in the day, skipper Alastair Cook said that this is the first time that he will be going into a Test match without a proper net session but it is nothing compared to what people have lost.
"Cricket players face all kinds of situations. I think it is my 140th game, and I have never played in a game where we haven't had nets but sometimes you have to remember what happened in the cyclone, people lost their lives," said Cook.
(With inputs from PTI)
