Racing against time to get fit for the first cricket Test against South Africa, India’s premier off- spinner Ravichandran Ashwin today had a short fitness workout at the Brabourne Stadium here.
Ashwin made a surprise visit to the stadium where a two-day game between Board President’s XI and the visiting South African team was in progress.
As South Africa’s ODI captain A B de Villiers was batting in the middle in the pre-lunch session, Ashwin was seen undergoing a short stint of running, bending and throwing balls rolled to him by Team India physio Patrick Farhart on the sidelines.
Australia’s Farhart is with the Board President’s XI in the same capacity here and his session with Ashwin lasted not more than half an hour beyond the boundary line at one corner of the stadium near the Cricket Club of India’s clubhouse.
Then the lanky off spinner, India’s No.1 slow bowler, left the ground.
He is now scheduled to join up with the rest of the Indian Test squad members at Mohali ahead of the opening game of the four-Test rubber starting on November 5.
Ashwin had suffered a side strain while fielding to his own bowling in the first game of the best-of-five ODI series against the visiting Proteas in Kanpur and did not take any further part in the rubber, which was lost by the hosts 2-3.
He has been included in the squad for the first two Tests by the selectors and two days ago announced in his home town, Chennai, that he was close to regain full fitness.
“I’m close to full fitness and I’m confident of bowling well in the Test series,” Ashwin had said at a promotional event in the southern Metropolis.