Ahead of the much-anticipated five-match Test series against England beginning June 20, the Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has returned to India due to a family emergency. Gambhir’s mother, Seema Gambhir, reportedly suffered a heart attack on June 11, prompting the coach to leave the England tour midway.
As per reports, Gambhir is expected to rejoin the team on June 17, just three days before the first Test match at Headingley, Leeds.
With Gambhir away, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, former Netherlands all-rounder, will lead the team’s preparations for the England series. He will be supported by batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and bowling coach Morne Morkel during Gambhir’s absence.
This England tour marks a significant phase for Indian cricket as it will be the team’s first assignment following the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin from Test cricket. The series will also see Shubman Gill take charge as the new Test captain, ushering in a new era with Gambhir and Gill at the helm.
In preparation for the series, India will conduct a four-day intra-squad warm-up game against India A starting June 13. The practice match will be held behind closed doors to maintain tactical confidentiality, with players expected to undergo 360 overs of match simulation to ensure bowlers get sufficient practice before the official series commences.
India’s Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
England squad for first Test vs India: Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (capt), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
