A day ahead of the fifth and final Test between India and England in Chennai, the race was on for the organisers to get the venue up to scratch after the devastation caused by Cyclone Vardah.
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association has assured that despite some external damage, Chepauk Stadium was ready to host the game.
On Thursday though, a few areas of the ground still showed the impact left behind by the deadly cyclone.
The nets were also not available as the practice wickets were still damp due to the preceding rains.
England’s star batsman Joe Root did not let the non-availability of nets dither him from a batting session. He took recourse on the road inside the stadium complex to get a few knocks in.
No nets? No problem...@root66 will practice anywhere #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/NmzZrgpweN
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 15, 2016
Thankfully, the TNCA had taken special measures to keep the main wicket, to be used for the match, dry in the lead up to match.
On Wednesday, groundsmen were seen using burning coal to dry the wicket, left a little damp due to the cyclone.
The pitch being dried in an unusual fashion in Chennai after the cyclone. I could have lent them @GeoffreyBoycott #plentyofhotair pic.twitter.com/x62Zedxmm0
— Adam Mountford (@tmsproducer) December 14, 2016
On Thursday, the coal was gone and the wicket looked ready for the Test. India’s spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav took a closer look at the wicket.
Spin trio @ashwinravi99 @imjadeja and Jayant Yadav take a close look at the pitch #TeamIndia #INDvENG @Paytm Test cricket pic.twitter.com/GWTDAvQPDh
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 15, 2016
Between all the hullabaloo, skipper Virat Kohli lightened the mood a bit, and headed towards couple of adorable police dogs on duty at the stadium. Kohli gave them a drink of water, giving the photographers a sweet photo-op and gave people at the stadium, who have spent the last few days under the terror of the cyclone, a reason to smile.
