Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar advised Team India to play more practice games in England before the Test series which is scheduled to start from June 20. Team India are scheduled to play a five-Test match series. Gavaskar who was upset after India's 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 suggested the Team India to arrive early in England.
The upcoming red ball series against England will be India's first assignment of the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
“The mistakes that were made in Australia should not be repeated. The team should arrive in England in one group and not in four batches as was done in Australia. Yes, the odd player who is recovering from injury can join the team later, but the leaders must be the first to arrive to make a statement that the team is ready for battle" wrote Gavaskar in column for the Sportstar.
Gavaskar explained that since India failed to qualify for the WTC final they will have an additional week for the team to practice in England before the Test series.
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“Now that India hasn’t qualified for the WTC final, there’s an additional week for the team to acclimatise by playing some practice games. English conditions mean that the ball will swing in the air and seam after pitching. However much one practices in the nets, the knowledge that even if a batter gets out a few times in the net, he can carry on batting doesn’t make for good mental preparation. Never mind if the opposition for practice matches isn’t top class; the runs scored and wickets taken in a match will boost the confidence considerably," he added.
The upcoming WTC final will be the first instance where India failed to qualify. The Men in Blue featured in both editions of the WTC final.
Team India are currently preparing for the Champions Trophy 2025 and before that the Rohit Sharma-led side will feature in the Champions Trophy 2025 which is scheduled to start from February 20.