India to Play 4-Day Warmup Match Before Meeting England for Lone Test

India to Play 4-Day Warmup Match: As team India has reached England and has started their training, they have one opportunity to make themselves comfortable with the conditions in the country. India will be playing Leicestershire County Cricket Club in Leicester from June 24 before the lone test that is to take place on July 1.

The game will be four days, a first-class match. It looks like a great opportunity for players to gear up for the test and not let the historic opportunity of winning the series in England. The game was postponed due to disruption created by COVID while India was touring England in Sept 2021. The tour was abandoned and the teams haven’t gotten time to play it ever since.

The arrangements are initiated and coordinated by head coach Rahul Dravid, who is preparing the team for the dual tours of Ireland and England in collaboration with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) administration and selection committee.

A Leicestershire County spokesperson talked about the opportunity and showed gratitude towards it as he said, “We are delighted to be welcoming India to Uptonsteel County Ground to help the side prepare for their busy summer schedule in England. It’s incredibly exciting to have an international team decorated with world-class stars coming to Leicester, and lining up against the likes of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah will prove an invaluable learning experience for our young squad”

“Our city has a rich diversity, with a hugely passionate Indian cricket following, so we know that the team will receive tremendous support from the local community across all four days. For fans back home, we will be showcasing the fixture on our enhanced free streaming service on YouTube, while our social media channels and the official app will also provide behind-the-scenes coverage.”, he added.

Just before the game, team India suffered two blowbacks in form of Ashwin and KL Rahul likely to be unavailable. KL is getting treated for his groin injury and will surely miss the tour. R Ashwin turned COVID positive and will be available only after his recovery.
Amidst this, playing a warm-up game is a great opportunity for the team to go ahead with the preparation.

The five-Test series is now 2-1 in India’s favor. Cheteshwar Pujara has been recalled to the Test team following a successful season with Surrey in county cricket, while senior pros Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah have been recalled after being rested for the T20 series against South Africa.