Picture Credit: Twitter/BCCI
India is in England for an all-format series and the tour has kicked off in some style. Although the first match of the tour (the fifth rescheduled Test) between India and England is to be played from 1 July, a 4-day warm-up game is already underway. Leicestershire and India are playing a warm-up game before the all-important Test.
India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first. Although it is a warm-up game, fans turned out in large numbers to watch Indian stars in action on England soil. The match became more special with the players getting a special welcome as they walked out in the middle. As both the on-field umpires and players of both teams crossed the ropes, there was a group of musicians and dancers to welcome them.
A Bhangra tune was played while the dancers brought out some amazing dance moves to the fore. They performed Bhangra to welcome the players. There were also the flags of both teams flying high. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared the video of the special welcome on social media and wrote “That is some welcome for a practice game. Leicester is buzzing.”
Watch the video here:
Pant, Bumrah, Pujara, and Krishna in opposition
While the squads for both teams were announced ahead of the match, there were a few surprises for the Indian fans. Some of their star players were named in Leicester’s lineup. Cheteshwar Pujara, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Prasidh Krishna were named in the opposition team.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, Hanuma Vihari, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav
Leicestershire (Batting 11, Fielding 11): Samuel Evans(c), Louis Kimber, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Rehan Ahmed, Samuel Bates(w), Roman Walker, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Will Davis, Nathan Bowley, Abidine Sakande, Joey Evison