The senior Indian side will play an intra-squad game which will be their only warm-up match before the Test series against England starts.
The series starts from the first Test at Headingley from June 20. The Test series also kicks off the WTC 2025-27 campaign for both teams.
England played a one-off Test against Zimbabwe to get a bit of warm-up ahead of the marquee Test series. Their batters have had a good hit out in the Test match against Zimbabwe. They have the better understanding of the two teams compared to India.
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Plenty To Ponder For Team India
Meanwhile, the intra-squad match will be a dress rehearsal for the visiting Indian team as they seek to get ready for the litmus Test. The Indian players under Gautam Gambhir opted to have a "closed door" practice session to prevent the opposition from getting to know about their strengths and strategies.
India too, will look to fine-tune their combination in this four-day match. The match will be key for the bowlers as they get 360 overs to bowl. Every bowler will get overs under their belt as the young Indian attack is looking for some experience ahead of the Test series.
Talking about all-rounders, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy are the options. All three bring in different dimensions into the game which will be a thing to monitor for the coach and the magamenet. With Ravichandran Ashwin retired, Ravindra Jadeja is the lead spinner in the sie. However, he faces still competition from Kuldeep Yadav, who with his mystery spin can be a value addition to the side.
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired, an opening slot and a crucial number four slot is up for grabs. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the first-choice opener. KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan are the other options from which the management will have to choose one.
Where Will Shubman Gill Bat?
Where does Shubman Gill bat as the Indian Test skipper will also be an interesting observation. He made his place in the ODI side but was yet to cement his place in the Test side before he was named the new Test captain.
