PHOTOS: India players hit the net ahead of 1st Test vs SA

IMAGES of the Indian men's cricket team during a practice session at the Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Monday.

Rohit Sharma, seen here in the nets, has a lot of responsibility riding on him going into the first Test. The batting, not just the bats, clearly rest on the opener's shoulders

IMAGE: Rohit Sharma, seen here in the nets, has a lot of responsibility riding on him going into the first Test. The batting, not just the bats, clearly rest on the opener's shoulders. Photograph: BCCI

The Indian cricket team took to the field for their first nets session in Visakhapatnam on Monday, before the opening Test against South Africa.

While head coach Ravi Shastri gave the boys a pep talk before getting down to business, new batting coach Vikram Rathour was seen chatting with Shubman Gill.

India go into the three-match home series against South Africa looking to build on their early success in the ICC World Test Championship, while the visitors open their WTC campaign in the series.

The Indian cricket team warm-up with some football

IMAGE: The Indian cricket team warm-up with some football. Photograph: PTI

Virat Kohli led India to a 2-0 victory in the West Indies, which helped them grab the full 120 points available for a series, the only team to do so in three series played so far.

Sri Lanka and New Zealand drew their two-match series 1-1 and are on 60 points each in the points table while England and Australia are on 56 each after their five-match Ashes series ended 2-2.

Looks like India's new batting coach Vikram Rathour has some words of encouragement for youngster Shubhman Gill

IMAGE: Looks like India's new batting coach Vikram Rathour has some words of encouragement for youngster Shubhman Gill. Photograph: BCCI

The championship was launched last month to add context to the longest format of the game.

Each match of the India-South Africa series, to be played in Visakhapatnam, Pune and Ranchi is worth 40 points since points in the WTC are evenly distributed over the number of matches in a series (two to five), ranging from 60 points for each match of a two-Test series to 24 for each match of a five-Test series.

Head coach Ravi Shastri gives his team a pep talk during practice

IMAGE: Head coach Ravi Shastri gives his team a pep talk during practice. Photograph: PTI/span>

So, India can go up to 240 points by grabbing all the points at stake in the series starting Wednesday. On the other hand, South Africa can join India at the top of the table with 120 points.

Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma in the nets