Team India kick off intense training ahead of first Test in England

London: Fresh off their arrival in the UK, the Shubman Gill-led Indian Test squad wasted no time and dived straight into intense training sessions, kickstarting their preparations for the five-Test showdown that marks the beginning of the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

This series also signals the start of a new era for Indian cricket, following the Test retirements of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. India are aiming to win a Test series in England for the first time since 2007.

The BCCI shared a glimpse of India’s training session on their social media with a caption, “First sight of #TeamIndia getting into the groove in England.”

In the video, Team India’s pace battery — Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh — joined forces with new skipper Shubman Gill, seasoned all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant for high-intensity training drills, all under the sharp eyes of head coach Gautam Gambhir and his coaching crew at the Lord’s Indoor Cricket Centre.

The five-match series will commence on June 20 in Leeds before the action moves to Birmingham for the second Test. The Lord’s Cricket Ground will host the third Test, beginning on July 10. Old Trafford and Kennington Oval will host the fourth and fifth Tests of the series, respectively.

Following the Test retirement of Rohit Sharma, Gill has been appointed as India’s 37th Test captain. He has played as an opener and number three batter for India in Tests. In 32 Tests, Gill has scored 1893 runs at an average of 35.1, with five centuries and seven fifties against his name.

India’s squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav

IANS