The Indian team management held an internal meeting where head coach Gautam Gambhir and bowling coach Morne Morkel delivered a “clear” directive on their preferred preparation approach in Kent.
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India Gears Up for England Test Series with Key Intra-Squad Clash in Kent
Unlike last year’s Australia tour, where the planned intra-squad game was cancelled last minute, the Indian team management is fully prepared this time around. Ahead of the crucial five-Test series against England, India A have wrapped up two drawn matches against the England Lions and are now set to face the senior India team, led by Shubman Gill, in Kent next week. This will serve as the only warm-up match before the series opener on June 20 in Leeds.
With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma recently retiring from Test cricket, this marks the beginning of a new era for India. The team has set up camp in Beckenham, South East London, where head coach Gautam Gambhir and bowling coach Morne Morkel conducted an internal meeting on Tuesday to outline their approach for the preparations.
Gautam Gambhir later met with Josh Marden, head curator at Beckenham County Ground, to request a “realistic” pitch—aiming for a balanced surface to simulate the conditions expected in the upcoming series. While acknowledging the seam-friendly nature of English pitches, Gambhir insisted on a fair track that would not overly expose the batters, but still offer meaningful practice for the pace attack.
Balanced Pitch, Key Decisions: India Fine-Tunes Ahead of England Test Series
“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,” revealed Josh Marden, the head curator at Beckenham County Ground, in a conversation with Revsportz. He explained that based on the feedback, they made adjustments to the grass cover, net width, and pitch length to better simulate realistic match conditions.
While the current practice strip appears more batting-friendly, Marden clarified that subtle changes have introduced enough life for seamers. “The soil here naturally plays batter-friendly, so visually the wicket may look dry or flat. But we manage grass density—not just what you see, but how thick it is. The pitches currently used by India and Australia have slightly more grass than our usual white-ball surfaces. Even with a brown surface, there’s enough life in it for seamers, if you hit the right length,” he said.
