Indians undergo strenuous net session

Hyderabad: The Indian cricket team continued with its strenuous training session today ahead of the first Test against New Zealand, starting here on Thursday.

The Indian team, which has been practicing intensely since the last few days for the two-match Test series to be played in Hyderabad and Bangalore, had rigorous batting, bowling and catching sessions today as well, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. Sachin Tendulkar had a long batting stint at the nets, preparing for his first international match after the Asia Cup in Bangladesh early this year. Other top-order batsmen -- Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli -- followed suit for batting practice. Pacers Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav sent down some express deliveries to rattle the batsmen, while the spinners Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin also bowled in tandem. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a long wicketkeeping session. While the Indians had their net session in the morning, the Kiwis began their practice in the afternoon. PTI