India cricket team are currently involved in an intense training camp in Beckenham ahead of the five-match Test series against England. The tour will mark the start of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for India under new captain Shubman Gill. Ahead of the 1st Test in Headingley, head coach Gautam Gambhir has reportedly informed the pitch curator at Beckenham as to what sort of surface the Indian team requires.
Gambhir wants pitch with realistic conditions
As per a RevSportz report, Beckenham head curator Josh Marden revealed that the Indian coaching staff had spoken to his team after an internal meeting. He said that their demand was for a good pitch which was not too flat or green.
“Yes, the coaching staff, including Gautam Gambhir and others, spoke to us after their internal meeting,” Marden said. “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,” Marden said.
The series against England will not just be Gambhir’s first assignment in the UK but will also be Gill’s first tour as the skipper. Marden revealed that the Indian team wanted a surface with realistic conditions and that adjustments had been made accordingly. The Beckenham pitch curator added that the feedback from the visitors has been positive.
“They wanted more realistic conditions, not just batting drills,” Marden continued. “So we adjusted a few things — grass cover, net width, and pitch length extensions. The feedback from the Indian team has been great since then,” he added.
Before the all-important five-match Test series kicks off at Headingley on June 20, the senior team will play an intra-squad match against India A. On June 13, the Shubman Gill-led team will get into action to prepare for the major World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 series. It will be a warm-up practice game in Beckenham.
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