Indian captain Virat Kohli walked out for the toss on Saturday morning for the crucial second Test against England in Chennai to some familiar scenes and sounds from the stands.
Indian cricket fans, who have had to watch matches on TV since the enforced break due to the Covid-19 pandemic were back cheering for their heroes from the stands as the BCCI allowed spectators to return.
India vs England 1st Test Day 1 - Live Score
According to the commentators, fourteen to fifteen thousand fans were present in the stadium at the time of toss on Saturday.
ALSO READ: Jasprit Bumrah rested for 2nd Test, Gautam Gambhir reacts
The total capacity, that BCCI has allowed for the match is 33 thousand. Many fans were seen wearing masks to avoid any chance of contracting the virus. The overall caseload in India has been on the decline with several big cities reporting lower Covid-19 positive numbers.
Even the death rate has reduced drastically over the past few days bringing about a sense of normality in the lives of people.
{{/usCountry}}Even the death rate has reduced drastically over the past few days bringing about a sense of normality in the lives of people.
{{/usCountry}}Both India and England made three changes to their respective playing XI for the second Test. Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch that is expected to turn much earlier and sharper than the one used for the first Test.
India needs to win the series by a margin of 2-1 or more to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship.