Team India 'hits the ground running' as they prepare for upcoming IND vs ENG series

With the India vs England five-match test series around the corner, the Indian players were seen practicing in Durham and gearing up for their first match. They will be looking to bounce back after their loss in the World Test Championship final. A video of Virat Kohli and Co. training was uploaded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Twitter on Sunday, July 25.

Indian team working hard

In the video, one can see that the Indian team undergoing their training session with some warm-up routines followed by a few sessions in the nets. India's wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and Wriddhiman Saha seem like they're back as they can be spotted doing some wicketkeeping drills. Pant had tested positive for COVID-19 a few weeks back, while Saha was in close contact with another COVID-19 positive member of the Indian camp, Dayanand Garani. Indian skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and the other batsmen were seen batting in an attempt to judge the English conditions.

India's vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane also joined the training session. Rahane has been nursing a hamstring injury after a slight swelling was detected and had to miss the three-day warmup match against the County Select XI. He is expected to recover and regain his fitness before the start of the series. Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, and other Indian bowlers were seen bowling in the nets to try and polish their skills and get an understanding of the conditions ahead of the first test match against England.

Indian team news and injury updates

There is some bad news in the form of injuries as Shubman Gill has returned to India owing to a shin injury and Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan are also expected to join him after they both picked up finger injuries in the warmup match. Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Jayant Yadav are expected to join the Indian team touring England soon.

The first of the five test matches between India and England is scheduled to be played at 3:30 PM IST on August 4 at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.

India's squad for India vs England test series: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance).

(Image Credits: @BCCI - Twitter)