diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseBlockCSR.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseBlockCSR.java
index c33420f9f48..1e1d8a3618e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseBlockCSR.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseBlockCSR.java
@@ -888,14 +888,14 @@ public String toString() {
 			final int pos = pos(i);
 			final int len = size(i);
 			if(pos < pos + len) {
-				sb.append(String.format("row %0"+rowDigits+"d -- ", i));
+				sb.append(String.format("%0"+rowDigits+"d ", i));
 				for(int j = pos; j < pos + len; j++) {
 					if(_values[j] == (long) _values[j])
 						sb.append(String.format("%"+rowDigits+"d:%d", _indexes[j], (long)_values[j]));
 					else
 						sb.append(String.format("%"+rowDigits+"d:%s", _indexes[j], Double.toString(_values[j])));
 					if(j + 1 < pos + len)
-						sb.append(", ");
+						sb.append(" ");
 				}
 				sb.append("\n");
 			}
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseBlockMCSR.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseBlockMCSR.java
index 672ef1a1a4b..1886d5eb880 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseBlockMCSR.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseBlockMCSR.java
@@ -87,9 +87,13 @@ public SparseBlockMCSR(SparseRow[] rows, boolean deep) {
 		}
 	}
 	
-	public SparseBlockMCSR(int rlen, int clen) {
+	public SparseBlockMCSR(int rlen){
 		_rows = new SparseRow[rlen];
 	}
+
+	public SparseBlockMCSR(int rlen, int clen) {
+		this(rlen);
+	}
 	
 	/**
 	 * Get the estimated in-memory size of the sparse block in MCSR 
@@ -436,7 +440,7 @@ public String toString() {
 		for( int i=0; i<nRow; i++ ) {
 			if(isEmpty(i))
 				continue;
-			sb.append(String.format("row %0"+rowDigits+"d -- %s\n", i, _rows[i].toString()));
+			sb.append(String.format("%0"+rowDigits+"d %s\n", i, _rows[i].toString()));
 		}
 		
 		return sb.toString();
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseRow.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseRow.java
index 07b8c0903d4..bfae2c21c45 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseRow.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/data/SparseRow.java
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ public String toString() {
 			else
 				sb.append(String.format("%"+rowDigits+"d:%s", indexes[i], Double.toString(values[i])));
 			if(i + 1 < s)
-				sb.append(", ");
+				sb.append(" ");
 		}
 		
 		return sb.toString();