Nottingham: Former captain Sourav Ganguly skipped Wednesday’s indoor nets at the England & Wales Cricket Board’s National Academy in neighbouring Loughborough, but insisted he would be fit for the second Test, which begins on Friday.

“There’s stiffness in the back from Lord’s, but it’s not a concern... I didn’t bat only because nets was indoors... There are two days to go and I’ll be fine," he told The Telegraph.

Besides receiving treatment from Team India physio John Gloster, Sourav engaged in physical training at the awe-inspiring Academy, which is part of the National Cricket Centre. The facilities are on the University of Loughborough campus.

Even if one needn’t be concerned about Sourav’s back, the weather is definitely causing concern. It rained throughout the day, ruining the Indians’ plans for a session at Trent Bridge.

It was, by the way, a day off for the four specialist bowlers who played at Lord’s — Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Sreesanth and Anil Kumble.

If Sourav’s back gets stiffer, then Yuvraj Singh is going to benefit.

“Making the XI or not isn’t in my hands... Of course, I’d love to play,” he said, adding: “It’s disappointing that the batsmen didn’t get many runs in the first Test (Lord’s), but a draw is a draw... Some of our batsmen have each played over 100 Tests and they need to be given respect...”

Yuvraj had a pretty long hit indoors and among the ‘locals’ helping out was the patka-wearing offie, Suroop Singh. He doesn’t bowl like Monty Panesar, but remarked that the England star had been an inspiration.

Footnote: It’s rare for Sourav to be presented with a bill after eating out in Calcutta. On most occasions, he gets nothing more than a token piece of paper. On Tuesday, even that wasn’t presented after Sourav and family (wife Dona, daughter Sana) finished dinner at the enigmatically named ‘4550 Miles From Delhi’ restaurant. “We’ve been privileged,” explained manager Lucas Lewis, while requesting Sourav to pose with his chefs.