England vs India: Five-match Test series to be played in front of a capacity crowd

The five-match Test series between India and England, starting on August 4, will be played in front of a crowded crowd after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the lifting of COVID-19 related restrictions on Monday.

India and New Zealand played the final of the World Test Championship in Southampton last month in front of a limited crowd, with an upper limit of 4000.

India suffered an eight-wicket defeat on the sixth day in a rain-hit Test match.

The Indian players are currently on a break and will regroup on July 14.

India are set to play a warm-up match against ‘Select County XI’ ahead of their first Test against England in Nottingham.

The three-day match would be given first-class status and the team, formerly called ‘united county’, would consist of players from the county circuit. Possible dates for the game are between July 20-22.

An ECB spokesperson told PTI, “We are aware of BCCI’s request to play a three-day warm-up match against a County Selection XI as part of the Indian men’s Test teams for the five-match Test series. ” .

Several former players, including batting great Sunil Gavaskar, had said that India was unprepared for the Word Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, which it lost by eight wickets. While New Zealand reached the United Kingdom almost a month before India and beat England 1–0 in the two-match Test series, India could play only one intra-squad match.

The five-Test series between England and India begins with the first match at Nottingham (4–8 August), followed by Lord’s (12–16 August), Leeds (25–29 August), The Oval (2–6 September) and Manchester (September 10–14).