[Watch] Team India players practice slip catching ahead of rescheduled fifth Test vs England
Team India took part in a practice session at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Thursday (June 30) ahead of the crucial Test series decider against hosts England on Friday.
Several players, including Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, and Hanuma Vihari, were could be seen doing slip catching drills as they geared up for the crucial tie. Notably, fielding at slip is a bit tricky in England, considering the seam-friendly bowling conditions.
The video of the drill was shared by the official broadcaster for India's England tour, Sony Sports Network, on their social media accounts. The post was captioned:
"#TeamIndia ensuring that there are no π΄ππͺπ± πΆπ±π΄ in the π΄ππͺπ±π΄ π€© All focused for tomorrow's ππππππππ ππππ π― Watch the 5th #ENGvIND Test 2 PM onwards, only on the #SonySportsNetwork πΊ #SirfSonyPeDikhega."
Watch the video here:
It is worth mentioning that the first four fixtures of the five-match Test series between India and England were played last year. The final encounter was postponed back then due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Indian camp.
The rescheduled fifth Test is scheduled to be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham from Friday (July 1). India currently lead the series by 2-1 and have a significant chance of securing a Test series win on English soil for the first time since 2007.
Jasprit Bumrah to captain Team India in the fifth Test against England
The Indian side will be without full-time skipper Rohit Sharma in the fifth Test after he tested positive for COVID-19 on several occasions. Senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah will lead the side for the one-off Test against England in Sharma's absence.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced earlier today that Jasprit Bumrah will be the captain for the England Test while wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will serve as his deputy.
The BCCI posted on Twitter:
"Jasprit Bumrabn to lead #TeamIndia in the fifth Test Match against England. Rishabh Pant will be the vice-captain for the match. #ENGvIND."
England's playing XI for India Test: Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Sam Billings (wk), Matthew Potts, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach, James Anderson