Team India during a training session. (Courtesy: BCCI/Twitter)
Team India is set to assemble at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Saturday. As per a report in Cricbuzz, the hosts will hold a four-day training session at the venue for the first Test, before the match commences on January 25.
Team India will warm up and begin their training session immediately after arriving in Hyderabad. However, former India captain Virat Kohli will take a day off, after his training session on January 21, to attend the Ram Temple Consecration in Ayodhya.
As per the report, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru ahead of the Test series while players who were a part of the T20 series against Afghanistan will head for a break before joining the squad in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Meanwhile, England will arrive in Hyderabad on January 21. The visitors underwent their initial part of the preparation in Abu Dhabi. The late arrival of the visitors has sparked criticism at home with former England fast bowler suggesting that they are under-prepared and staring at a 0-5 defeat.
“I”m an old man and that”s what they”re going to say, the times have changed. But preparation hasn”t changed. You cannot go into India underprepared, you cannot go into India over-prepared. You could be in India six weeks before and still not be prepared for that first Test and the emotion of that.
“I love the new approach with Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum and Rob Key, and everything the ECB has done. But I”m sorry, you”d never go to an Ashes series three days before. You”d never go to Australia three days before the Gabba. Why go three days before (to) Hyderabad? We”ve got five Test matches in India, you”ve got to prepare in the right way with overs under your belt, balls faced, and acclimatising,” the former England pacer told radio station talkSport”s Following On podcast recently.
The five-match Test series will be important for both sides in the World Test Championship cycle from 2023 to 2025. The hosts are currently at the second spot while England are seventh in the top nine teams table.
