Watch: Team India Hit The Field At Lord's To Begin Practice For 5-Test series
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and some players were seen assessing the Dukes ball as India stepped onto the field of Lord's to begin practice for the five-Test series against England.
The Indian cricket team has begun its practice for the five-Test series against England, stepping onto the fields at the iconic Lord's on Saturday (June 7). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared snippets from their sessions on Sunday morning, sharing what they called the 'first sight' of the side getting into the groove.
The clip included shots from London and Lord's, before taking us to the indoor facilities of the stadium, where the team engaged in some stretching and warm-up football. Soon, the players stepped outdoors and were seen engaging in running and fielding practice. The most interesting thing in the clip was how head coach Gautam Gambhir, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, and others were deeply assessing the Duke's ball.
The Duke's is used for Tests in England and behaves quite differently from the SG ball used in India and the Kookabura cherry deployed in Australia. The English ball has a more pronounced seam and a thick coating of laquer, which promotes swing for longer than usual — sometimes till the 30th over.
I am always under pressure: Gambhir
This series will be a big test of Gambhir's tactical acumen in Tests, having overseen big losses against New Zealand at home and Australia away. In the pre-tour press conference, he accepted that he has always been under pressure but denied feeling any extra for this tour.
'I am always under pressure," he said. 'Regardless of whether I would've won the Champions Trophy or not. Because being the coach, you want the results. It does not change with winning or losing,' Gambhir said. 'I am always under pressure irrespective of whether we got the results or not. If you had asked me this question after New Zealand, I would have said 'yes, I am under pressure'. After Australia, I would have said 'yes, I am under pressure',' he explained. 'After winning the Champions Trophy, I am still under pressure because me being the coach, you always want the results. Every game you are part of this team, you want to get the results for the country as simple as it can get,' he said.
India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC, WK), 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.
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