Watch: Captain Shubman Gill rallies team India in first practice session in England

Team India has started their preparations for the all-important five-match Test series in England as they participated in their first practice session after arrival in the country. Captain Shubman Gill was seen leading from the front as he took part in in intense fielding drills. India and England are set to lock horns in a five-match series set to begin from June 20. Ahead of the crucial rubber, the players hit the ground running as they were seen sweating hard in preparation.

In a video shared by the BCCI of their practice session, captain Gill was seen going through his fielding drills. On the other hand, fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and others were seen doing their warm-up in the lead-up to an extensive bowling session.

Watch the video here:

The upcoming series will be the first assignment of India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill, who’s been entrusted with the leadership duties following the retirement of captain Rohit Sharma. The 24-year-old has led Gujarat Titans (GT) in two seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and took them to the playoffs on the second occasion.

However, the India skipper will have a massive task to improve his record in England as he’s scored just 88 runs from three matches played in the country so far. Gill will have wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant as his deputy and the duo will be aiming to guide the team to their first series win in England since 2007. India narrowly missed out on winning the series on the previous tour as England won the rescheduled fifth Test to level the series 2-2.

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who’s led the Indian team on three occasions in Tests, will also provide much-needed assistance to the two young captains. His performance will hold the key for India’s chances to win just their fourth series on English soil. Bumrah has been in magnificent form of late and will be eager to continue it on the upcoming tour.