Debasis Sen, Johannesburg: If everything falls in place the Indian cricketers will travel to England at least 10 days before the first test match in Southampton. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to send the test players before in order to get them acclimatized with the conditions.
The Indians were at the receiving end going down 0-2 in the test series before bouncing back in Johannesburg test match. The test cricketers will be sent ahead so that they prepare themselves well in time for the first test match.
There was widespread criticism of the board as the Indian team’s departure to South Africa was delayed to accommodate a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue didn’t play a tour match either, which resulted in a 2-1 defeat in the Test series.
Moreover, the team is expected to start their preparations a month before the commencement of the tour. On top of that, the Test specialists might even feature for the Rahul Dravid-coached India A team on their tour of England and there are talks of resting the top players for the historic Test match against Afghanistan, which starts on 14th June.