India vs England: Kohli and Co to play warm-up match ahead of Test series

The Indian cricket team, led by Virat Kohli, will reportedly play a warm-up game against a 'Select County XI' ahead of their first Test against England in Nottingham, starting August 4.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is working on COVID-19 protocols to organise the game, which is set to be played in the third week of July, an ECB spokesperson told PTI on Friday.

The tentative dates for the three-day game is between July 20 and 22. The match will be given the First-Class status and the 'Select County XI' team will comprise players from various counties.

"We are aware of a request from the BCCI to play a three-day warm-up match against a County Select XI as part of the Indian men's Test teams build-up to the five-match Test series. We are working through the operations and COVID-19 protocols to ensure we are able to deliver this and will confirm in due course.

The Indian Test team will report to Emirates Riverside, Durham for their pre-Test camp on 15 July and will prepare at the venue until August 1 before heading to Trent Bridge, Nottingham ahead of the first Test starting on August 4," the ECB spokesperson was quoted as saying by the PTI.

On being asked about the quality of the opposition, keeping in mind 'The Hundred' that is due to start from July 23, the spokesperson said, "It will be players that aren't in 'The Hundred' and we will look to select strongest squad available."

Following India's loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final to New Zealand last month, several former cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar, opined that India were underprepared for the summit clash, which they lost by eight wickets. New Zealand arrived in the UK a month earlier than India and also played a two-match Test series against England, in which Kane Williamson and Co triumphed 1-0. On the other hand, India managed to play only an intra-squad match ahead of the maiden WTC final.

After the completion of the WTC final in Southampton, Indian captain Kohli had expressed his dismay at not being given the First-Class game despite the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) requesting the ECB for one.

The five Tests between India and England have been scheduled to take place at Trent Bridge (Aug 4-8), Lord's (Aug 12-16), Headingley (Aug 25-29), Kennington Oval (Sept 2-6), and Old Trafford (Sept 10-14).

The last time India played England in an away Test series, Kohli and Co suffered a 4-1 loss in 2018.