Team India is currently in England to play the hosts in an all-format series. The series will begin with a one-off Test against the Ben Stokes-led side, followed by a white-ball leg in which the two teams will face off in three T20Is and as many One-Day Internationals. Former captain Virat Kohli is in the squad to face England. He was rested for the T20I series against South Africa at home.
Ahead of the rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston on July 1, the Indian team is preparing to face English county side Leicestershire in a four-day warm-up match that will help them transition from the T20I zone to the red-ball one.
Virat Kohli plays an exquisite cover drive
In a four-day practice match against Leicestershire starting on Thursday, Team India, captained by Rohit Sharma will have a chance to get used to the English conditions. The Leicestershire team, led by opening batsman Sam Evans, will nevertheless be joined by four cricketers: Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna. The fifth Test between India and England will begin on July 1 in Birmingham.
Former Team India captain Virat Kohli who is back after a short vacation in the Maldives with his family is taking part in this practice match.
The practice match started in overcast conditions with high chances of rain. Team India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first. However, in cloudy conditions, Indians found it difficult. Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer both failed, while Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma were dismissed early. Virat Kohli and KS Bharat were given a challenging task after Ravindra Jadeja attempted to form a partnership with Kohli but was also dismissed.
Kohli started with caution and was connecting the balls fairly well. He played an exquisite cover drive for a boundary on the final ball of the 23rd over. The video of this shot has gone viral on social media with people praising Kohli’s natural talent.
