[WATCH] Team India sweat it out in the nets ahead of rescheduled Test against England
Members of the Indian cricket team were seen sweating it out in the nets ahead of the rescheduled Test against England, which will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 1.
Ahead of the Test, the visitors will take part in a four-day practice match against Leicestershire in Leicester, which kicks-off on Thursday (June 23). India have been in Leicester for the past few days, practicing for the same.
On Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video of Indian players working hard in the nets to get ready for the Edgbaston challenge. The clip features skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami among others going through their practice routines. The Indian cricket board uploaded the video with the caption:
βThe grind is π #TeamIndia sweat it out in the nets in the lead up to the rescheduled fifth #ENGvIND Test. πͺ.β
The rescheduled Test is being played since the fifth match of the India-England series last year at Old Trafford in Manchester was canceled due to COVID-19.
India will be without the services of KL Rahul for the Birmingham Test as he has been ruled out due to a groin injury. Also, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who did not board the flight to the UK after having tested positive for COVID-19, is likely to join the Test squad soon.
Indian stars Pujara, Pant and Bumrah in Leicestershire squad for practice game
Batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant, as well as pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, will represent Leicestershire in the four-day warm-up game. An official statement from Leicestershire County Cricket Club confirmed:
"Leicestershire CCC will welcome members from the India touring party into their side for tomorrow's four-day tour match at Uptonsteel County Ground. India superstars Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna will all team up with the Leicestershire squad, captained by opening batsman Sam Evans.β
The statement added:
βLCCC, BCCI and the ECB have all agreed to allow the four players from the visiting camp to be part of the Running Foxes side, in order to allow all members of the travelling party to participate in the fixture (subject to fitness). The match will be played with 13 players per side to provide further flexibility and help manage bowling workloads."
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav.
Leicestershire CCC: Sam Evans (Capt), Rehan Ahmed, Sam Bates (wk), Nat Bowley, Will Davis, Joey Evison, Louis Kimber, Abi Sakande, Roman Walker, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna.
Also Read: India's predicted XI for rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham