Following the defeat in the World Test Championship final, Virat Kohli has revealed that Team India had demanded first-class matches before the upcoming five-match Test series against England but their demand hasn’t been met.
Responding to the query, Kohli revealed that they asked for first-class matches but it won’t be happening. “That doesn’t depend on us. We wanted first-class games but that’s not been given, I don’t know the reason. We have ample time for the first Test, we should be ready for it,” he said.
While India won’t play a first-class fixture before the Test series, they are scheduled to play an intra-squad fixture from July 28 to 31.
The series is still more than a month away and India have ample time to prepare for that. India haven’t defeated England at their home since 2007. The last time India toured England (in 2018), the Kohli-led side suffered a 1-4 defeat against Joe Root’s team.
The India-England five-match Test series will kick off on August 4, with the first Test taking place in Nottingham. Lord’s will host the 2nd Test from August 12 to 16. The third Test will be played in Leeds from August 25 to 29. London will host the 4th Test from September 2 to 6. The fifth and the final Test match will be played in Manchester, from September 10.
