Indian opener Mayank Agarwal has stated that the team just wants to ease into things as the Virat Kohli-led side regrouped at Durham County Cricket Club for their first practice session, ahead of the five-match Test series against England.
In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Mayank Agarwal said, "It was good to regroup and come to the Durham cricket ground. It was not a heavy session but it was a session where we all got together, grouped, and played together. We just want to ease into things."
"Obviously getting a chance to hit at the ground and the open net is fantastic. It feels good to play in the actual ground so you get the real feel of wickets, conditions, and everything else. It's more of a top off but the main session is at the ground and which is available to us which is great," the 30-year-old said.
"I also bowled a little and rolled my arm over and it felt nice. It's always good to add your skills."
When asked to Cheteshwar Pujara that who is the better bowler between him and Mayank. Cheteswar said," I will have to give to him [Mayank Agarwal]."
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and KL Rahul were seen having a hit in the nets while Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami had a session with the ball in the video posted by BCCI. Team India arrived in Durham on July 14 for the practice match which will be played behind closed doors.
Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes will lead a 14-man squad which also includes recent Test debutant James Bracey and Nottinghamshire opener Haseeb Hameed, who made his Test debut against India in 2016. "The squad was selected after consulting with the first-class counties on player availability and to provide some of the high-potential talent from across the county game with the opportunity to test themselves against the ICC World Test Championship finalists," said ECB in an official statement.
The county players will bridge into a team environment and undergo the COVID-19 test before being cleared to play in the match. Team India will use Emirates Riverside as a home venue for their preparations this summer. The three-day game against a County Select will begin on July 20.
( With inputs from ANI )
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