Gautam Gambhir pushes for Australia tour-like prep, demands secretive intra-squad match before England Tests

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

India will play just one practice game before the start of the five-match contest against England, much like they had prepared for the tour of Australia. And head coach Gautam Gambhir has demanded secrecy, just like they had in Perth last November. However, unlike the previous overseas tour, it won't be a mere match simulation but a full-fledged four-day intra-squad warm-up game against India A, in Beckenham, Kent, starting Friday.
India did schedule a similar before the tour of Australia, but the match was shelved at the last minute as the management opted for match simulation to gear up for the series. Moreover, the officials at the WACA, where the Indian team were stationed before the start of the series in Perth, were given strict instructions by the BCCI that the practice game would be played behind closed doors, implying fans would not be able to watch it. In fact, India's entire training at the old Perth venue was under wraps in a bid to not give away any secrets to the opposition.
Gambhir has pushed for the same this time. In a report in the PTI, the former India batter has called for a "closed-door" intra-squad game, "to prevent the opposition from getting any ideas on the tactical front, emulating a long-established practice among European football clubs."
The 360-overs of match practice will not only give the team management a chance to allow the bowling unit to get enough overs under their belt, it will also hint towards the possible batting line-up, around which there has been considerable debate following the Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Focus will also be on Jasprit Bumrah, who will play a red-ball game after six months. He will also get a chance to bowl multiple spells and test his fitness, having only played IPL since his comeback from a lower back stress injury.