"It's a pleasure to have you" - Leicestershire welcome Team India ahead of 4-day practice game
Leicestershire welcomed the Indian cricket team on Monday, June 20, ahead of their four-day practice game, which starts on June 24 at Grace Road.
India are in the UK to play their rescheduled fifth Test against England, which was postponed last year due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the India camp. Rohit Sharma and Co. will also play three T20Is and as many ODIs after the one-off Test that begins on July 1 at Edgbaston.
The county side recently shared a short clip on Twitter where the cricketers could be seen entering the ground for a training session. Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja were seen sharing a laugh while Virat Kohli was listening to music.
They captioned the video as:
"Welcome @BCCI. It's a pleasure to have you at Uptonsteel County Ground this week."
The Indian cricketers also had a good session. The team shared a short clip on their official Instagram handle, where openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were seen sweating it out in the nets.
They captioned it:
"#TeamIndia openers captain @rohitsharma45 and @shubmangill are getting into the groove on Day 1 of our nets session. 👍👍"
India currently lead the series 2-1. They have a good chance of winning a Test series in England for the first time since 2007.
"It is obviously going to be exciting" - India head coach Rahul Dravid on England Test
With two revamped Test squads, new captains and coaches and a series up for grabs, India head coach Rahul Dravid is relishing the opportunity to make a statement in England.
Addressing reporters in Bengaluru on Sunday, 19 June, he was quoted as saying by India Today:
"In terms of the Test match, it is obviously going to be exciting. For us it is a one-off Test match, but it's WTC points. It's a series on the line for the guys who played a part in it [last year], and they are very keen to try and win that series and do well. So looking forward to that."
He added:
"It is always lovely a Test match in England; the crowds are going to be fantastic. You expect really good crowds in England when you play Test cricket there. And England is playing really well at the moment. I mean, they are playing really good cricket."
India are currently placed third in the ICC World Test Championship with 77 points and a percentage of 58.33.