Updated 10 June 2025 at 15:04 IST
Beckenham Head Curator Reveals Gautam Gambhir's Specific Pitch Needs For Team India's Training Before Facing England
Josh Marden revealed India's coaching staff, led by Gautam Gambhir, requested a balanced pitch for training. Adjustments were made to grass and net width, with positive feedback from the team at Beckenham.
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Team India Coaching Staff, Gautam Gambhir | Image:
X/@BCCI
Josh Marden, Beckenham County ground's head curator, has revealed that the Gautam Gambhir-led Indian coaching staff had kept their demands for the training. He added that the head coach's message was clear that they require a good pitch, which is well-balanced and offers a naturalistic structure. He added that they have made adjustments to the grass, net width and other aspects as per requirements, and the team's feedback has been great.
Beckenham Head Curator Reveals What Gautam Gambhir Said In Terms Of Pitch Requirements
The Indian Cricket Team is honing their skills and getting acclimated to the conditions in the UK before facing England in a five-match test series. With Shubman Gill leading the charge, the red-ball series marks the beginning of the new Gambhir-Gill era.
The Men in Blue's recent performance has been forgettable after they lost to New Zealand and Australia. But they would aim for glory in the upcoming series. To do so, the team had requested certain conditions from the head pitch curator at Beckenham.
"Yes, the coaching staff, including Gautam Gambhir and others, spoke to us after their internal meeting. Their message was clear: 'We want a good pitch.' Not something too flat or too green, but something that will genuinely help with match preparation. They wanted more realistic conditions, not just batting drills. So we adjusted a few things, grass cover, net width, and length extensions. The feedback has been great since then," Josh Marden said while speaking to Revsportz.
Team India Ready For Clinical Action Against England
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirement, the Indian red-ball unit has a void that needs to be filled. BCCI Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar solved the captaincy conundrum after the selection committee named Shubman Gill as the new red-ball skipper. The dynamic Indian batter becomes the youngest leader for the Men in Blue in the game's longest format.
However, the Indian Cricket Board has not addressed the elephant in the room, as no concrete announcement was made regarding the number four spot. Even Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill did not give out any names during the pre-departure press conference. As India trains in the UK, certain hints have been passed on the subject. But the answer would be delivered when the two test cricket titans collide against each other in the first test match.
The 1st Test match between England and India will take place on June 20, 2025, at the Yorkshire Cricket Ground in Leeds, England.
Published 10 June 2025 at 15:04 IST