The second day of the three-day practise game against Essex in England saw a bright start to the match proceedings. As Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya marched out to begin the play on Day 2, a group of men dressed in cultural attire were seen welcoming the Indian batsmen with the traditional Punjabi dance and music.

It was delighting to see the group of Punjabi dancers dancing to the folk-tunes, much to the amusement of the fans present in the ground. The gesture from the Essex Cricket Club was a sweet one and was aimed to make players feel at home; not really, but then it was quite a gesture, a rare one, nonetheless.

Watch a Group of Dancers Welcoming Indian batsmen Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya on Day 2 of the Practise Game in England:

The Indian team ended on 322 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 84 overs, on Day 1. Wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik and all-rounder Hardik Pandya were unbeaten on 82* and 33* runs respectively.

Karthik couldn’t stay long on the crease as he was dismissed on the first ball of the day. Karun Nair didn’t trouble the scoreboard much as he was bowled on four runs only. Hardik Pandya scored a half-century and was dismissed soon on 51 runs.

It was a surprise to see Rishabh Pant, India’s reserve wicket-keeper, to come out as the last player to bat in the first inning. The Indian team were all out on 395 runs, with Ravindra Jadeja being the last wicket. Pant remained unbeaten on 34 runs of 26 balls as the Indian inning ended. Stay tuned with us for all the latest updates of India vs England Test Series 2018!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 26, 2018 04:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).