India vs England: 3 things to watch out for during India's warm-up game against Select County XI
With Team India regrouping at Durham and gearing up for a five-match Test series against England, all the attention will be on the the playing XI India selects. The first Test against Joe Root & Co is scheduled to begin on August 4.
The side will be taking the field in a practice game against Select County XI on Tuesday (July 20). With the think-tank now ringing in the changes after opener Shubman Gill's injury, plenty of focus will be on Mayank Agarwal, who has a chance to reclaim his spot in the playing XI.
There is also sufficient scope for the likes of KL Rahul and Hanuma Vihari to make their way back into the playing XI. India will be keen to make amends after losing the World Test Championship (WTC) to New Zealand last month.
The three-day warm-up fixture against the County side has been deemed a first-class fixture and will serve as a practice game ahead of the main clash.
Ahead of India's first match on their England tour, we take a look at three things to keep an eye out for.
#1 Mayank Agarwal's outing with the bat
The Karnataka batsman made way for Gill in the WTC final. With the latter's injury, Mayank Agarwal is back in the reckoning. He is coming off a rich IPL and and it remains to be seen if he will carry his crisp form into the longer format.
Agarwal was fourth on the list of Indian batters to score the most runs in the WTC league phase. He stacked up 857 runs from 12 matches at a healthy average of 42.85. Although he did taper off in the final stages, the upcoming outing against Select County XI is a chance for him to make a case as India's opener for the marquee series.
#2 KL Rahul's team India comeback
Following Wriddhiman Saha's isolation as a preventive measure and Rishabh Pant's recovery from COVID-19, KL Rahul will don the gloves in the warm-up game.
Reports have suggested time and again that Rahul could be slotted into the middle order in the upcoming Test series against England. Should that be true, the Karnataka batsman will be keen to play a good knock in the warm-up match and press for a regular spot in the playing XI.
#3 A close look at how the quicks fare
India's pace battery is bound to be under the scanner after an underwhelming outing in the WTC Final. Experienced bowlers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami are likely to be closely monitored during the match against Select County XI. The backup brigade, including Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj, are also likely to play a part during the game.
Reports have suggested that Siraj will come into the playing XI in Sharma's place for the first Test against England. If this is to be the case, all eyes will be on the Hyderabad pacer to see how he goes about his job in English conditions.