Team India kickstarts training, warm-up in London ahead of England series
London [UK], June 8 (ANI): Team India, a new-look outfit under the leadership of newly-appointed red-ball captain Shubman Gill, kickstarted their preparations for the five-match Test series against England, which will start at Leeds from June 20 onwards.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) posted a video on their official handle, showing a glimpse of India's first training session in London.
During the training, the team, including skipper Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, were seen doing some warm-up, running, fielding drills and enjoyed some football as well.
https://x.com/BCCI/status/1931561828175228936
The five-test tour of England, starting June 20 at Leeds and lasting until August 2025, is set to be a heavy one for fans and players alike. With senior stars Rohit and Virat having retired from the longest format of the game, the onus lies on the Shubman Gill-led new-look Indian side to prove themselves away from home in tough English conditions and ensure that Indian cricket is safe.
The series will be held from June to August 2025, with matches scheduled at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
India has not won a Test series in England since 2007. To prepare, several Indian players had already arrived earlier to represent India A in warm-up matches against the England Lions. The rest of the touring party is scheduled to arrive in the UK on Friday.
Meanwhile, ahead of the Test series, India 'A' are currently playing a three-match unofficial Test series against the England Lions. The first match ended in a draw, while the second unofficial Test is set to begin on Friday, June 6, at the County Ground in Northampton. On Thursday, England announced their squad for the opening Test at Headingley. The English side has seen several changes since their 4-1 Test series defeat in India last year. Veteran pacer James Anderson has retired, and players like Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, and Ollie Robinson have been dropped.
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.
The English squad: Ben Stokes (Durham) - Captain, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire). (ANI)
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