> Batsmen get ready to face bouncers

Getting a feel of conditions in South Africa, Indian cricketers sharpened their skills against the bouncing ball at the team's first net session on Wednesday.

The batsmen, by and large, were keen to unwrap a few strokes which they usually eschew on pitches in the subcontinent. There were more pulls, hooks and drives on the up. The bowlers, including two seniors marking their return to the One-day mix, Kumble and Zaheer Khan, loosened themselves up for the battle ahead.

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Coach Greg Chappell, down with food poisoning, was conspicuous by his absence during the training session. Chappell apparently woke up unwell on Wednesday morning.

Seniors Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Rahul Dravid, in between personal practice, offered advice to juniors who were all ears to their tips. Tendulkar and Dravid also exchanged notes as they oversaw the practice session of the team.

For the entire stretch of the two-hour training session, Chappell's assistant and biomechanist Ian Frazer fed balls from the bowling machine to Suresh Raina, Dinesh Mongia and Irfan Pathan, among others.

The Indians seemed keen to absorb as many lessons as possible ahead of the tour opener. On the last tour to the West Indies, India easily got past a Jamaican XI in the tour opener, making 289 and winning by a 116-run margin. But the One-day series which unfolded thereafter resulted in a 4-1 defeat for them.

On the tour to Pakistan earlier this year, India exploited perfect batting conditions in the tour opener and made 414, with most batsmen scoring runs. But India ended up losing the Test series 1-0.

In contrast, India were lacklustre at the start of their tour to Australia in 2003 but the tour itself turned out to be a landmark one as batsman after batsman piled up runs.