Adrian le Roux replaces Soham Desai as India's new strength and conditioning coach ahead of Test series vs England
Adrian le Roux
New Delhi: Adrian le Roux, a highly respected sports scientist, has replaced Soham Desai as the Indian men's cricket team's strength and conditioning coach for their upcoming England tour. This marks Le Roux's second stint with the national team, having previously held the position from January 2002 to May 2003. His appointment was announced alongside training footage released by the BCCI as the team prepares for a five-Test series beginning June 20th at Headingley.
With head coach Gautam Gambhir overseeing the session, pace bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Jasprit Bumrah practiced alongside wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, and newly appointed Test captain Shubman Gill.
Following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill was appointed India's 37th Test captain. He leads a relatively inexperienced team aiming to secure India's first Test series victory in England in over 15 years.
England will host India in a five-test series at Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford, and The Oval. Several Indian players, some from the national team, are currently in England playing in a warm-up match against the England Lions in Northampton to prepare for the series.
After a successful six-year run with the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, culminating in a near-championship finish in 2025, Le Roux returned to the national team. He shared an emotional goodbye message on Instagram, reflecting on his time with the Kings and the relationships he forged.
'And with that, a six-year journey with the @punjabkingsipl comes to an end. Went all the way to the final this season In the fast-moving world of professional sport, it's easy to get caught up in the results,' he wrote. 'But every now and then you pause and realise that while it's about performance and pressure, it's also about people, shared moments and friendships that will last a lifetime. As I step into a new role with @indiancricketteam, I'll carry these memories with me.'
India's upcoming five-Test series in England marks the beginning of their new World Test Championship cycle and will be head coach Rahul Dravid's second tenure with the team. Shubman Gill will also lead the team for the first time during this significant tour.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
19 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Skipper Looked In Good Touch": Arshdeep Singh On Shubman Gill During India's Net Session
Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh offered some valuable insights about India's training session before the five high-stakes Tests in England, scheduled to kick off at Headingley on June 20. Arshdeep has been infused into India's Test squad ahead of Harshit Rana and Mohammed Shami for India's first assignment of the new World Test Championship cycle. The left-armer, who has formed a revamped bowling quartet alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj, has been testing India batters during the nets session while trying to find his rhythm. During the recent session, he bowled against the newly crowned Test captain, Shubman Gill, and young Sai Sudharsan, a challenge he relished and hopes to continue with for a long time. "There was a lot of competitiveness with the batters. We enjoyed it. As bowlers, we had to grind and make proper plans to get the batter out. Sai, who has joined the team for the first time, looked compact. The skipper looked in good touch. I will try the banter keeps on going, and I dismiss them a lot of times," Arshdeep said in a video posted by the BCCI. For the 26-year-old, the motive was to bring the body back to rhythm according to the demands of the Test format after an elongated patch in white-ball cricket. "The main motive was to bring the body to rhythm. To get a feel of how the red ball was coming out of the hand, because a lot of players were playing white-ball cricket for a long time. As we go ahead, the intensity will increase, and we will try to make it hard for batters to face the ball," he added. A sense of familiarity surrounds Arshdeep, considering his past exploits in the County Championship. After a 17-wicket campaign in the IPL 2023, he signed for Kent and scalped 13 wickets from five matches at 41.76. With the backdrop of his past stint, Arshdeep is in line to earn his maiden cap and bowl alongside the current "best in the world", Jasprit Bumrah. While the feeling of being the best continues to exist within him, Arshdeep doesn't want to stray away from the main objective: improving each other's skills. "Whenever I pick up the ball, I feel I am the best. But when a player like Jasprit Bumrah plays in an attack, there is no room for comparison. The main focus is improving each other's skill set and helping the team," he said. India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav. Listen to the latest songs, only on
NDTV
19 minutes ago
- NDTV
Deepika Padukone Announces Padukone School of Badminton, Says "Hope To Build A Healthier Generation"
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Deepika Padukone announced the launch of Padukone School of Badminton (PSB). PSB aims to promote health, focus, and inspiration through badminton. Legendary badminton player Prakash Padukone, Deepika's father, will be the mentor and adviser of PSB. Bollywood star Deepika Padukone on Tuesday (June 10) announced the launch of Padukone School of Badminton (PSB) with an aim to build a healthier and focused generation that's inspired by sport. Deepika Padukone, who is the daughter of the legendary badminton player Prakash Padukone, shared the news in an Instagram post. "As someone who grew up playing badminton, I've experienced firsthand how much this sport can shape one's life - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Through Padukone School of Badminton (PSB), we hope to bring the joy and discipline of Badminton to people from all walks of life, and build a generation that is healthier, more focused, and inspired by sport," she wrote. View this post on Instagram A post shared by दीपिका पादुकोण (@deepikapadukone) While Deepika Padukone will serve as the founder of PSB, her father Prakash Padukone will be on board as its mentor and adviser. In the past, the 39-year-old actor has often spoken about playing badminton in her growing up years in multiple interviews. "I remember that one morning she woke up and she said, 'Ma, I have been thinking about this for a long time now. I have been playing badminton only Papa wants me to but it's not something that I enjoy doing and I seriously want to take up modeling and get into movies.' I didn't take her seriously and then she said, 'I have been thinking about this for the past couple of nights. You wait and see, I will make you proud one day'," she had said. Deepika Padukone became a model doing advertisements and music videos. She eventually made her film debut in 2007 with Om Shanti Om, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan.
NDTV
19 minutes ago
- NDTV
Pat Cummins' Blunt 'India' Remark On WTC Final Against South Africa
Ahead of the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against South Africa, Australia skipper Pat Cummins is excited about playing an ICC summit clash against a team other than India. Both India and Australia are undoubtedly one of the best two teams in the world and are also cut-throat rivals. However, Pat Cummins and co spoiled India's dream of reaching the WTC 2025 final after they defeated them in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year. However, South Africa came in a surprise package and secured the finale berth. The WTC 2025 final will begin from June 11 at Lord's, London and there's no doubt that Australia will be entering the ground as the favourites. However, Cummins is not ready to take the Proteas lightly. "In some ways you expect India to be around. England have been quite strong at home and New Zealand always seem to get to finals. But the same case could be made for South Africa in ICC events," Cummins told the Guardian. "We just don't see a lot of them in Test cricket but it's nice and different to an Australia-India final," he added. The Australia skipper credited South Africa and even mentioned spinner Keshav Maharaj, who can pose a big challenge in front of them. "It's hard to say because there are so many unknowns. We haven't played them much but you've got to be really well balanced to make the final," said Cummins. "Their bowling has always stood out and it's no different now. Keshav Maharaj is a really solid spinner and they've always got plenty of quick bowlers who pose a challenge," he added. Earlier, Keshav Maharaj stated that he is determined to follow in the famous footsteps of Graeme Smith and his world number one team of yesteryears at the World Test Championship final. "I remember watching that when they lifted the mace," he said. "We know that apart from doing it for us, we want to honour the legends of the past and hopefully we will one day be seen in the same calibre and light to win such a coveted title and hold the Test mace," he added.
