England batsman Joe Root resorts to practising his batting in the street as weather-damaged pitch causes training to be cancelled

THERE'S not been much for England to smile about on the current tour of India, as the hosts have thoroughly out-batted, out-bowled and out-fielded Alastair Cook's men.

From Virat Kohli's many centuries, to the visitors suffering a host of injuries.

On top of that, Chennai - the city hosting the Fifth and final Test - has been decimated by Cyclone Vardah, making training impossible.

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However, that's not stopped Joe Root from getting some batting practice in...

...Even though it meant he needed to hit the streets to get his eye in.

The recent extreme weather has taken its toll on the Chidambaram Stadium - with everything from the floodlights and the sight-screens to the practice pitches being ruined by the high winds and heavy rain.

With only fielding practice available to both sides, Root decided to take it upon himself to get some batting in.

He wondered off to a local street outside the ground and hit a few throw-downs.

And the awkward conditions hardly seemed to hamper his batting as he executed a picture-perfect back-foot drive into the makeshift off-side.

If anyone is need of practice in the England ranks right now, you'd wager it's not Root...

While the training pitches were deemed unplayable on Thursday morning, the playing surface for the match itself - set to start on Friday - is in better condition.

Despite the wind and rain, the square has dried sufficiently after having trays of burning coal placed on top in a desperate bid to dry it out.

England go into the final, dead rubber of a Test 3-0 down after a truly disastrous tour, battling now only for pride.