Indian players in England for the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand practiced in a group for the first time after being in quarantine, since landing in the United Kingdom.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a video of team India practicing. In the video of a little over a minute, key players were seen getting back in the groove. Shami, Bumrah, Ishant Sharma were seen steaming in, while batsman Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane were busy with their throwdowns.
Here is what the BCCI wrote on their official Twitter handle, releasing the video.
“We have had our first group training session and the intensity was high
#TeamIndia’s Flag of India preparations are in full swing for the #WTC21 Final”
We have had our first group training session and the intensity was high 🔥#TeamIndia's 🇮🇳 preparations are on in full swing for the #WTC21 Final 🙌 pic.twitter.com/MkHwh5wAYp
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 10, 2021
India is set to play WTC finals against New Zealand from June 18 to 22 at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton with June 23 being a reserved day. This s was followed by five-match Test series against hosts England starting from August 4. The Test match series is planned over August – September. Also, India will get a three-week break between the WTC finals and England Series.
“As skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri had told the media at the pre-departure press conference, there will be a break. There is a six-week gap between the WTC final and opening Test against England, so we had to address the issue of players’ well-being. Within the UK, they can disperse off, go for a holiday, meet friends and family,” a senior BCCI official told PTI.
