In Pictures: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma lead the way as India hit the nets in Durham
Team India hit the nets at Durham County Cricket Club on Saturday ahead of the all-important five-Test series against England.
The BCCI shared some stunning snapshots from the training session, where skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and KL Rahul can be seen sweating it out in full gear. Also putting in the hard yards in the post are four frontline bowlers - Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.
You can see the photos here:
The Indian players assembled in Durham a couple of days ago after a two-week-long break. They now have just over two days to prepare for a three-day practice match against a County Select XI which will start on Tuesday.
While Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara will be at the vanguard of India's quest to win the Pataudi Trophy, KL Rahul is most likely to sit out the first few games. However, latter is expected to keep wickets in the practice game.
Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin is certain to start in the first Test - his position bolstered after a brilliant display for Surrey this week - but the same cannot be said about the other in-frame bowlers.
Calls have only grown louder to include Mohammed Siraj in the pace attack after India's defeat in the World Test Championship final. It will be interesting to see which player makes way for him, should he get the nod.
One of the key bowlers missing from the post is Jasprit Bumrah. The speedster had a forgettable outing at Southampton and all eyes will be on him as he looks to regain his touch against England.
Full schedule of India-England Test series
The Test series is crucial for both India and England, not only for its historical significance but also because it will kick off the second WTC cycle. Virat Kohli and Joe Root will be eager to put the previous edition behind them and begin on a winning note here.
First Test: August 4-8, Nottingham - 3:30 PM IST
Second Test: August 12-16, Lord's - 3:30 PM IST
Third Test: August 25-29, Leeds - 3:30 PM IST
Fourth Test: September 2-6, The Oval - 3:30 PM IST
Fifth Test: September 10-14, Manchester - 3:30 PM IST