With just ten days left on the calendar before the five-match Test series against England begins in Leeds, Team India has begun red-ball preparations in earnest. On Monday, the BCCI shared visuals from the outdoor net session at Beckenham, offering a peek into both the scenery and the squad’s renewed red-ball focus after months of white-ball action.After two days of intense training, the squad was given a rest day on Wednesday, June 10. The team will resume training after a day’s rest on Wednesday, June 11 at Beckenham. Training is set to commence at 9:30 AM local time (2:00 PM IST).A video released on BCCI’s official website gave fans a sneak-peek into the high-octane preparations up until Tuesday. Arshdeep Singh took center stage, as the 26-year-old highlighted the competitiveness during the net session, praising the batters. “It was enjoyable with the batters; they were quite compact. We had to work hard with a proper plan to try and get them out. Sai (Sudharsan) looked solid. The skipper was in good form. I’ll try to keep this banter going and aim to get them out many times,” he said.
India’s training included drills for Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Siraj, and Ravindra Jadeja, with fielding coach T Dilip also leading a sharp catching session. With the Test series opening the door a fresh era in Indian red-ball cricket, preparation in the calm of Kent could prove invaluable.
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The team landed in England three days back, on June 7 ahead of the Test series set to commence on June 20. The series marks the dawn of a new era under skipper Shubman Gill and a relatively young Indian squad. The series also marks the commencement of the new WTC cycle for India (2025-2027). Ahead of the Test series, India A played two Tests against England Lions, with the second unofficial Test ending in a draw at Northampton on Monday, as both teams shook hands after a short final session on Day 4.Team India will also play an intra-squad match ahead of the five-match Test series against England, starting June 20 at Leeds.
