Given how the India cricket team’s tours have gone over the last decade or so, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to prepare a roadmap for the India Test Tour of England, which starts on June 20 in Headingly. According to Cricbuzz, some discussions have been going on. BCCI seems to have decided that players need to keep themselves in red-ball nick even during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
India’s recent Test form & struggles in England
Team India has lost their last two Test series, and losing another to England could be detrimental for the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and the current captain, Rohit Sharma. Mind you, India hasn’t won a Test series in England since 2007. The last time they went, victory was close; due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was ended abruptly, and eventually, one Test was moved to the next team. The end result was a draw.
Test practice during IPL, nothing new
Practicing for Test cricket during the IPL isn’t new. It happened in 2021 as well. Back then, Team India had to face New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final. Virat Kohli was practicing with a red ball in the nets while he was still playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The same happened in 2023 as well, when Team India went against Australia in the next edition of the WTC Final.
The BCCI hasn’t finalised the details yet and will convene after the ICC Champions Trophy ends on March 9. It’s understood that some players will be asked to engage in occasional red-ball practice. The players in question could be those who were struggling recently, i.e., against New Zealand at home and in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
