The Indian cricket team, which reached England three weeks in advance on Saturday, has had little outdoor practice and net sessions because of the rains. ``We could only get one four-hour session outdoors,'' coach Anshuman Gaekwad said from Leicester. ``Except for a short session on Sunday, the heavy downpour has forced us to keep the training session indoors,'' he said adding that all members of the squad were fit and turning up for the eight-hour training session daily.

The players were going through their paces daily. ``We are spending the long afternoons going through video clips of our opponents, with captain Azhar, (Sachin) Tendulkar, (Ajay) Jadeja and others chalking out strategy to be adopted against each team,'' Gaekwad said. ``The morale in the camp is high. There have been no medical complaints and theplayers are all eager to have a go at the coveted trophy,'' he added.

The team has been cutting down on social engagements, turning down invitations to a number of receptions at Leicester, which has a sizable Indian Gujarati population.

The Indians will be staying in Leicester for the next three weeks of the acclimitisation period and will also play a few warm-up matches against local sides, including one against Leicestershire at Grace Road. Kapil roots for Azhar: Skipper of the 1983 World Cup winning team Kapil Dev today defended the choice of Mohammad Azharuddin as the captain of the Indian cricket team and said the country had a good chance of lifting the 1999 World Cup in England. ``I think Azharuddin will be motivating the team well and we will have a better chance to win the Cup,'' Kapil told reporters at Calcutta on Tuesday.