Team India goes shopping; Laxman prefers to practise
Beleaguered batsman VVS Laxman was the only Indian batsman to come out for practice, while some of the members chose to go shopping ahead of the fourth Test against Australia in Adelaide.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: January 19, 2012 06:11 PM IST
Beleaguered batsman VVS Laxman was the only Indian batsman to come out for practice, while some of the members chose to go shopping ahead of the fourth Test against Australia in Adelaide.
After arriving here early on Thursday, Laxman went for indoor net sessions. While he spent hours fixing his glitches in his batting, some of the members went for shopping. Among them were Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, who is serving one-match ban, R Ashwin, bowling coach Eric Simmons and other support staff.
The Indian team has faced criticism for not practicing as hard as they should, given their dismal show in the current series. The final Test starts from January 24 and it's their last chance to salvage some pride.
On Wednesday, Laxman had dismissed speculations that he is on the verge of retirement following his dismal performance in the ongoing Test series against Australia.
He has scored just 102 runs from the six innings he has played so far at an average of 17. His languid fielding and ongoing back problems, combined with his poor form, have prompted reports that he would be the first of India's ageing champions to retire, perhaps even before the Adelaide Test.
Coach Duncan Fletcher had spent a significant amount of time in Laxman's net working on technical aspects of his batting, suggesting his tour is not finished.