Rishabh Pant, Cheteshwar Pujara, Jasprit Bumrah to team up with Leicestershire for warm-up game

The Indian team has landed on the shores of England for their one-off Test against the hosts starting on July 1st at Edgbaston. India will take on Leicestershire County Cricket Club (LCCC) in a four-day game on Thursday (June 23) leading up to the all-important Test against England.

Skipper Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shardul Thakur put in the hard yards in the practice session on Wednesday morning. The BCCI, ECB, and the LCCC have had a pre-match agreement in place that will see Cheteshwar Pujara, Pant, Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna drafted into the Leicestershire squad. The arrangement was made to make sure that each player can get enough playing time ahead of the rescheduled fifth Test.

Former skipper Virat Kohli was rumoured to be suffering from Covid-19 but a team source has quashed all those claims and said, “All players are available for selection, and there is not a single Covid case in the camp,” in a statement to Cricbuzz.

“India superstars Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna will all team up with the Leicestershire squad, captained by opening batsman Sam Evans. LCCC, BCCI, and the ECB have all agreed to allow the four players from the visiting camp to be part of the Running Foxes side, to allow all members of the traveling party to participate in the fixture (subject to fitness),” the LCCC said in a statement.

It will be a great experience for our squad: County CEO Sean Jarvis on the opportunity to play against the Indian Team

The CEO of LCCC is excited about the prospect of facing a star-studded Indian side in the four-day warm-up match and hopes that it will prove to be a great experience for his club’s players. Jarvis also revealed that both teams will benefit greatly from the contest. Ravi Ashwin, who missed his earlier flight due to Covid-19, will rejoin the team soon.

“India brings a magical feeling to Grace Road. During their training sessions here you can feel the buzz already. It will be a great experience for our squad, especially players like Rehan Ahmed, to play against Virat Kohli and India’s huge talents. We are sure both teams will benefit from the four days,” Sean Jarvis told Cricbuzz in a statement.

Squads for warm-up game