Stung by the massive defeats against New Zealand and Australia, the BCCI has decided to organise three four-day matches in the UK ahead of the Test matches against England to give the players an opportunity to get a feel for red-ball cricket.
The dates and venues of the matches against England Lions are yet to be fixed, but they will take place in the UK after the IPL final on 25 May, as the tour begins with the first Test at Leeds on 20 June.
The board feels the preparatory series is essential to India’s chances against England after the team went down 0-3 against the Kiwis at home and 1-3 to the Aussies away.
“We had a similar ‘A’ tour to Australia ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. These matches will help players to come to terms with English conditions and also provide a chance for them to play red-ball cricket after some time,” a source in the BCCI told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Some of the frontline Indian players such as Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, etc., are preparing for the Ranji Trophy matches, which are restarting from 23 January.
However, a few of them will be able to play only one round of the remaining two rounds of the Ranji Trophy, as the white-ball series against England will start in Kolkata on 22 January with the T20Is followed by the ODIs.
The focus has shifted to star Indian batters’ appearance in domestic cricket after most of them, including veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, endured a dismal series Down Under.
“We don’t have too many red-ball matches now as the IPL will start soon after the series against England. It’s not wise to send the squad to an important series without proper preparation as England is generally a tough place for batters because of the conditions,” he said.
