Big blow for Team India ahead of first Test vs England, head coach Gautam Gambhir has…
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir. (Source: X)
Team India are busy preparing for the first Test in the their five-match Test series against England at Beckenham in Kent. The first India vs England Test will begin at Headingley in Leeds on June 20 but days before the game, head coach Gautam Gambhir has flown back to India.
According to media reports, Gambhir's mother Seema Gambhir has suffered a heart attack. The former India opener's mother is currently in ICU in a hospital in New Delhi. Gautam Gambhir has flown back to New Delhi to check on his mother but is expected to rejoin with the team ahead of the first Test.
India are beginning their new World Test Championships (WTC) cycle with the series against England. They have won only 1 out of the their last 8 Tests and lost 6 matches in this period – including three on the trot at home.
Team India will be missing the services of three stalwarts with Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli all retiring from Test cricket. Gambhir had taken over as the head coach of the Indian side after Rahul Dravid stepped down from the position after winning the T20 World Cup 2024 title. Indians will be led by a new Test skipper in Shubman Gill, who will make his captaincy debut in the longest format at Headingley next week.
Head Coach Gautam Gambhir is set to return to India due to a family emergency. [@RevSportzGlobal]
– He is likely to re-join the team early next week. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/YzPIErt6ir
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 13, 2025
Meanwhile, India's bowling coach Morne Morkel revealed that consistency will be the key for the Indian bowlers if they hope to thrive in English conditions.
'I think consistency is crucial in England and there is consistency when we practice, there's consistency off the field, finding your process, what's going to work for you as an individual,' Morkel said on the sidelines of India's training session in Beckenham.
'We've got a great variation, variety in our attack, guys with different skill sets so they can do that and still execute the basics well,' he added.
India last played Test match cricket in early January, during the Sydney Test against Australia. Several players in the current Indian squad, including Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan, will be featuring in their maiden Test series on English soil.
'All in all, happy with the start so far. I was a little bit nervous in terms of the lack of red ball we've played but seeing how the guys are moving around and training in the last three days is a pleasing sight.
'We have a fantastic group. There's some quality energy and that's what you need. You need to go into a Test series confident and have that team spirit,' the former South Africa pacer added.
India will begin a four-day intra-squad warm-up game against India 'A' team members starting in Beckenham, on Friday.
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