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Right ahead of five-match Test series against England, Team India has made a big change to their coaching set-up. Adrian le Roux has replaced Soham Desai as India's strength and conditioning coach ahead of the England tour. Le Roux is a well-recognised figure in the field of sports science, and this marks his second stint with the national team, having previously served in the same capacity from January 2002 to May 2003. He was recently featured in a training video released by the BCCI, showcasing the team's preparations for the upcoming five-match Test series against England. The series is scheduled to commence on June 20th at Headingley in Leeds, and the video captured the team engaged in rigorous practice sessions at Lord's Cricket Ground.
Adrian le Roux replaces Soham Desai as India's strength and conditioning coach
Under the guidance of head coach Gautam Gambhir, a core group of pace bowlers including Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Jasprit Bumrah participated in the training. They were joined by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, and the newly appointed Test captain, Shubman Gill.
Following the retirements of veteran batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill has been named as India's 37th Test captain. He will be leading a relatively young squad with the aspiration of securing India's first Test series victory in England since 2007, a challenge that the team is diligently preparing for.
The five-match Test series between England and India will be hosted at five different iconic venues across England: Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's Cricket Ground in London, Old Trafford in Manchester, and The Oval, also in London. To aid in their acclimatization to the English conditions, several players from the India A squad, including some who are also part of the senior Test team, have already arrived in England. These players are currently participating in the second unofficial Test match against the England Lions in Northampton, providing them with valuable match practice and exposure to the local playing conditions ahead of the main series.
Adrian le Roux's return to the Indian national team is preceded by an impressive six-year tenure as the strength and conditioning coach for the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League. During his time with the franchise, the team achieved notable success, finishing as runners-up in the 2025 season, narrowly missing the championship title by a mere six runs. Following the conclusion of the season, Le Roux shared a heartfelt farewell message on Instagram, reflecting on his time with PBKS which read:
"And with that, a six-year journey with the @punjabkingsipl comes to an end. Went all the way to the final this season In the fast-moving world of professional sport, it's easy to get caught up in the results. But every now and then you pause and realise that while it's about performance and pressure, it's also about people, shared moments and friendships that will last a lifetime. As I step into a new role with @indiancricketteam, I'll carry these memories with me," he wrote.
The upcoming five-match Test series in England will be Adrian le Roux's first assignment during his second tenure as the strength and conditioning coach for the Indian national team.
India’s Test squad for England tour:
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
England's squad for first Test against India:
Ben Stokes (C), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (WK), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
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