After being given three days off following the loss in the second Test at Centurion to South Africa, India’s players were back at the nets on Sunday at the Wanderers in preparation for the final Test.
Skipper Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Dinesh Karthik were all seen having extended batting sessions at the nets.
The Indians were also seen practising their slip-fielding which has been a major letdown in the series so far.
The No.1 ranked Test side in the world will be looking to end the series on a high as they seek to prevent a first-ever whitewash on South African shores.
However, things will not be easy for the batsmen once again if the words of the Wanderers’ curator Bethuel Buthelezi are anything to go by.
Batsmen at work in the nets. Credit: BCCI Twitter
“I have left sufficient green grass on it and I will not be shaving it off again before the match. We will be watering it again before the game. Unlike Centurion, there is no chance of sun burning out this grass because the ground is well watered,” the chief-curator told PTI.
“I have listened to the demands of the South African team and prepared this pitch accordingly. There won’t be any spin available here, but there will be ample pace and bounce for which this ground is well known,” he added.
Buthelezi fully expects a result in the third Test unlike the last time the two sides played at the venue in 2013.
“There will also be some lateral movement on account of the grass. Unlike 2013 , this is a more result-oriented pitch,” he stated.
India’s batsman have endured a torrid time on the greenish surfaces so far on the tour with Virat Kohli’s 153 in the second Test and Hardik Pandya’s 93 in the first being the only innings of note.
The third and final Test between the two sides gets underway on Wednesday before the action shifts over to the limited-overs matches.