Picture Credit: BCCI
The Indian men's cricket team in the United Kingdom wrapped up their final practice session on Tuesday and are all set to take on England in the Test series opener beginning in a few hours from now. The first of the five-match series will be staged at Nottingham's Trent Bridge.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India took to social media to share a video of Team India's preparations heading into the inaugural Test match of the second ICC World Test Championship cycle. The video features the likes of Virat Kohli, Mohammad Siraj, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant all looking geared up for the crucial test.
Check out the video here:
Meanwhile, in the pre-match press conference, Virat Kohli opened up about his teammate Pujara and the unfair criticism that he faces. He added, however, that the players should take it upon themselves to work on their individual weaknesses and improve their performances on the field.
"Yeah, I mean, it's been going on for a while and I honestly feel a player of his calibre and his experience should be left alone. And the responsibility is absolutely with the individual to figure out the drawbacks in his game that he needs to work on," Kohli said.
"Similarly with me or any other player in the team, we are very responsible and aware of the things we need to do for the benefit of the team. So, again, from the outside, I can say that yes the criticism is unnecessary but I know for a fact that Pujara does not care," he added.
All the batters seem to have had a great session on the eve of the match. For India to put up a commanding performance, their batsmen, some of whom are not at their best in recent times, will need to put enough runs on the board. The team is also dealing with a bit of a selection headache as Mayank Agarwal has been ruled out of the first Test with a concussion. Kohli and management will have to choose between KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran for the vacant opening position along with Rohit Sharma.