England vs India: Gautam Gambhir requests balanced pitch for preparation
What's the story
As the Indian cricket team gears up for its five-match Test series in England, head coach Gautam Gambhir has made a specific request to the Beckenham County Ground's head curator, Josh Marden.
Ahead of the series opener at Headingley on June 20, Gambhir has asked for a balanced pitch to prepare for an even contest between batters and bowlers.
The request comes as India prepare for their first Test series without stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in a while.
Pitch expectations
'We want a good pitch,' says Gambhir
As per reports, Gambhir had an internal meeting with his support staff before the intra-squad match and conveyed a clear message to Josh Marden about the kind of pitches they want.
"Yes, the coaching staff, including Gautam Gambhir and others, spoke to us after their internal meeting. 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 told Revsportz.
Strategic approach
Indian team has already set up base in England
Gambhir's request for a balanced pitch is part of his strategy to give his fast bowlers ample practice before the series.
According to ANI, the Indian team has already set up a training camp at the South East London venue in Beckenham.
The Shubman Gill-led Team India will play an intra-squad match next week as part of its preparation.
Pre-series matches
India A performance in unofficial Tests
The India A side, including some main squad batters, were recently involved in unofficial Tests against the England Lions. Both matches were drawn.
The performances of Indian batters stood out in these games, with Karun Nair scoring a double-century.
In the second match, KL Rahul scored a hundred while Abhimanyu Easwaran and Dhruv Jurel scored fifties.
None of the Team India (main squad) pacers took part in these games.
Information
India's squad for England Test series
India squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicket-keeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.