No Fans Turn Up To Welcome Shubman Gill-Led Team India In England: Report
Shubman Gill-led Indian team arrived in London on Saturday ahead of the all-important five-match Test series against England starting on June 20. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of team arriving in London on its social media accounts. "Touchdown UK. Team India have arrived for the five-match Test series against England," the BCCI captioned the post. Jasprit Bumrah, Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Rishabh Pant and Prasidh Krishna were in all smiles during the travel. The squad looked charged-up and upbeat for the long tour on English conditions.
According to a video on journalist Vimal Kumar 's YouTube channel, there were no fans or media personnel to welcome the team near the airport.
Before departing the country, newly-appointed Test captain Gill reflected on the challenges of playing without stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli following their retirements from the format last month.
"I think there is pressure every time you play and match or start a tour. As such, there is pressure ahead of every series, but there would not be any extra pressure. Rohit and Virat are very experienced players, and it is very difficult to fill the space, but as a team, we have a lot of experience, and we have played a lot of matches," said Gill at the pre-departure press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.
"The players and the team are all used to the pressure. We are not that inexperienced players. The batting and bowling combination in our team is very good," said the India Test captain.
Gill also talked about his first reaction when he got the news that he would be India's new Test captain and said they have not decided what position he will bat in. He has opened in the previous tours and has also batted at No.3. But with Rohit not there, the team management has to also take a call on who will partner Gill if he decides to open, Yashasvi Jaiswal or Abhimanyu Easwaran, the Bengal opener who is yet to debut.
"Firstly, when I came to know that I would get an opportunity like this, at the beginning, it was very overwhelming. It was quite overwhelming with the whole experience. But having said that, I think it is a big responsibility. And looking forward, there is a great chance that we will be presented first. And we haven't really decided on the (batting) position yet. We still have some time. We have a spot match in London. So, we still have time to decide on the batting order," said Gill.
India are aiming to win a Test series in England for the first time since 2007. The Test series in England will also be India's first assignment in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
15 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Kane saves England as Dutch and Austrians open World Cup campaigns with wins
England kept their World Cup qualifying on track with an ugly 1-0 win while Austria and the Netherlands made belated starts to their campaigns with victories on Saturday. Harry Kane's 72nd international goal ensured England avoided the ultimate embarrassment of failing to beat Andorra. Even so, Thomas Tuchel's side were booed off in Barcelona after struggling to impress against a team ranked 173rd in the world. Tuchel is the first England manager to win his first three competitive games without conceding a goal. But given the paucity of opposition provided by Andorra, Latvia and Albania in the Group K qualifiers, that achievement rings a little hollow after this miserable display. "I'm not happy with the performance. We completely lost the momentum and couldn't get it back. We ended up in a place that was not good enough in terms of urgency," Tuchel said. "We can just admit it that it's not what we expect from us. I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I didn't like the attitude we ended the game with. "I didn't like the lack of urgency. It did not match the occasion. It is still a World Cup qualifier." England pulled five points clear after three matches in Group K as second-placed Albania drew 0-0 at home with Serbia. Rey Manaj of Albania wasted a penalty in first-half added time. Serbia was one of three teams playing their first qualifying match Saturday after they had been involved in Nations League playoffs. Netherlands made their debut with a crisp 2-0 win over Finland in Helsinki. Memphis Depay scored after six minutes. Denzil Dumfries, one week after his unhappy experience playing for Inter Milan in the Champions League final, added the second after 23 minutes. Netherlands jumped to third in Group G, overtaking Lithuania and Malta who drew 0-0. The Dutch are one point behind Finland and three behind leaders Poland who did not play. Marcel Sabitzer and Michael Gregoritsch scored as Austria beat Romania 2-1 in Vienna. Florin Tanase headed an added-time reply for the visitors who had squandered several chances in the closing stages. Bosnia-Herzegovina lead Group H on nine points after Edin Dzeko scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory home over San Marino. Romania, Cyprus and Austria all have three points. smg-pb/
India Gazette
30 minutes ago
- India Gazette
21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament inaugurated; Minister Parvesh Verma lauds young talent
New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): The 21st edition of the Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament was officially inaugurated in the national capital, marking a significant occasion in the Indian chess calendar. Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma praised India's up-and-coming chess players at the event and offered his best wishes to the young players. Minister Verma said at the inauguration, 'The first Grandmaster Delhi Chess Tournament has been inaugurated. I convey my best wishes to all the children. India is very proud of the achievements of all our children, whether it is our Gukesh (Dommaraju) or Vaishali (Rameshbabu).' He further praised the organisers' and the chess fraternity's efforts in nurturing young talent and bringing the game to such a prominent stage. 'Many congratulations to all, and I convey my best wishes to the Federation and the Association for organising such a good tournament here at such a good level,' he added. With a record prize pool of Rs 1.21 crore, the Delhi International Open Grandmasters chess tournament is all set for its 21st edition from June 7 to 14 at Tivoli Gardens, Chattarpur, New Delhi. A marquee calendar event on the FIDE World Championship Circuit, the tournament has played a pivotal role in shaping the rise of India's chess stars, including past winners Arjun Erigaisi and Aravindh Chithambaram, R Praggnanandhaa, and World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju, who earned his final GM norm here to become a Grandmaster. Organised under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation, the Delhi GM Open has grown into the largest classical-format chess tournament in Asia by participation. This year, the Delhi GM Open will host over 2,500 players from over 15 countries, including 20 Grandmasters, competing across three rating-based categories. The prize pool marks a 168 per cent increase from last year's edition. Category A has a Rs 51 lakh prize pool and is open to internationally rated players. Categories B and C, for players rated below 1900 and 1700, respectively, will offer Rs 35 lakh each. All matches will follow FIDE rules and the FIDE Swiss System format, with 10 rounds in every section. Category A games will follow a classical time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move one, with the top three prizes set at Rs7,00,000, Rs6,00,000, and Rs5,00,000 respectively. The top ten finishers in this category will each receive Rs 1,00,000 or more, while special prizes of Rs 1,00,000 each will be awarded to the Best Female Player and Best Foreign Player. Category B and C games will follow a 60-minute-plus-30-second time limit and 30-minute-plus-30-second formats, respectively. Entry is free for Grandmasters, International Masters, Women Grandmasters, and Women International Masters. (ANI)
India Gazette
30 minutes ago
- India Gazette
"Allows India to dream": Kalinga Black Tigers coach Mike Friday shares his excitement for the inaugural edition of RPL
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 7 (ANI): Kalinga Black Tigers head coach Mike Friday hailed the Rugby Premier League (RPL) as a groundbreaking platform blending international excellence with domestic talent to help India's rugby dream flourish, according to a release from RPL. A former rugby sevens player himself, Mike Friday proceeded to become England Sevens' most successful coach to date, leading them to 10 titles during his tenure, while also securing a Commonwealth Games silver medal in 2006. He has also played a significant role in building legacies across the teams he has coached, including Kenya Sevens' and USA Sevens' teams. Now taking up a new challenge at the RPL, he described the league's unique appeal, stating, 'It's a very innovative format, a perfect balance between international players and domestic players. When you're trying to grow the sport and build capability, it's crucial to include domestic players in that development. It's a fantastic experience for them, not only in game time but more importantly in training time,' as quoted from a release by RPL. He explained how Indian players will benefit from the exposure they'll get throughout the tournament. 'During training, they get exposed to physical, technical, tactical and mental development from the senior international players which they can then take back to their team and to the next generation of Indian players', Friday reckoned. 'I love that cradle-to-grave idea - creating the legacy for Indian players tomorrow. I think that's what the RPL provides, allowing India to dare to dream and achieve their Olympic dream', he added. Asked about coaching in this league format with top players who don't often play together, Friday called the experience, 'Unique, and one that will come with lifetime memories.' 'Players who normally go head-to-head, country against country, come together to represent their region and the Indians of today and tomorrow. It's a special honour. We're here for a reason - not just to win, but to inspire Indian rugby players and help them become the best versions of themselves. That is humbling and very exciting,' he said. On the emerging domestic talent, Friday praised young players' resilience, especially Arjun Mahato. 'It's very hard for Indian players. On occasions, they've been thrown into the deep end, going under the water a lot. But the challenge is to survive in the deep water. They're improving every session. I tell them: you have to get it wrong to get it right - that's what they're doing and learning,' he added. He singled out Arjun for rising to the challenge, saying, 'He's confident, knows what to do, but more importantly he's ready to discuss why. That's half the challenge. Indian players tend to wait to be told what to do, but they need to understand why we do it. Then they can teach rather than just be taught. Arjun is already embracing that.' On the league's organization and facilities, Friday was effusive in praise. 'The league has done fantastically well. It's easy to look from the outside and think it's simple, but there's so much behind-the-scenes business. The RPL has done extremely well. There's been fantastic work getting all the owners on board and bringing in the best players and coaches in the world,' he noted. 'We're excited, inspired, and ready to add to a legacy. Kudos to to India Rugby', Friday concluded. (ANI)
