The Indian cricket team will begin its England tour with a warm-up match against India A. The match will be played on June 13 at Beckenham, which is a ground under Kent County Cricket Club. There were intentions to telecast the match, but the decision was reversed, and it will now be played behind closed doors.

Practice Matches Before the Test Series

Before the five-match Test series, India A will also tour England and will have two four-day matches against England Lions. The first of these will be between May 30 and June 2 at Canterbury, and the second from June 6 to 9 at Northamptonshire Cricket County Club.

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Indian Team's Travel and Preparations

After IPL 2025 is over, Indian players will get two weeks of rest and then go to England during the second week of June. There may be a few players going earlier based on their time table. Beckenham ground, located in southeastern London, is good and being used for practice before the Test series.

Issues related to selection and captaincy

The England series squad is expected to be announced in May, when the IPL will be at its peak. A part of the controversy is whether Rohit Sharma will continue to be the captain, subject mostly to how he performs during the IPL to assist the selectors in making their decision.

England vs India Test Series Schedule

This will be India's only practice game before the first Test at Headingley. As there are no practice games against local county teams, the intra-squad match will become the only preparation for the team.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is contemplating a strategy to keep players engaged with red-ball cricket throughout the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. This is before India's five-Test series in England in June-July, following the IPL. The scheme might involve players showing up at "occasional red-ball practice sessions" or other bizarre pursuits of some players.

🚨 RED BALL PRACTICE DURING IPL 🚨

- BCCI is working on a strategy to ensure players remain in touch with Test cricket ahead of England tour, it is likely that players might be ask for occasional practice with red ball during IPL. [Cricbuzz] pic.twitter.com/qil9BUrUwG

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 25, 2025

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The BCCI plans to not let the players lose touch with Test cricket during the two-month-long IPL tournament, to be held between March 22 and May 25.
The very specifics of the plan have yet to be known.
However, preliminary discussions of this twin-track approach have already been made by prominent players from the Indian team management and BCCI planners in Dubai.
The BCCI's decision to keep players engaged with red-ball cricket during the IPL season is in response to India's recent Test performance.
The team has not won a single Test series in England recently. The trend features a 4-0 loss in 2011, a 3-1 loss in 2014, and a 4-1 loss in 2018.
India earned their first away Test series draw in England (2-2 in 2021). It was split due to COVID-19, with the last Test won by England a year later.

Jamie Smith‘s debut in Test cricket was a mixed bag of success and disappointment. Despite an impressive 70 off 119 balls, the young cricketer found himself in an awkward situation that left a sour taste. Replacing senior wicketkeeper Ben Foakes for the first Test of the English summer, Smith faced the wrath of the London crowd for inadvertently denying James Anderson a chance to bat in his farewell Test against the West Indies at Lord’s.

Jamie Smith’s debut performance and the crowd’s reaction

Smith’s innings showcased his talent and promise at the highest level, but it concluded with a moment of regret. James Anderson, cheered on by the Lord’s crowd, walked out for what was likely his final Test innings. Unfortunately, the West Indies team did not provide a guard of honour, as they were busy celebrating Mikyle Louis’s sensational run-out of Shoaib Bashir.

In the 10th-wicket partnership, the crowd anticipated Anderson to entertain with his batting. However, Smith, while intending to hit a six, got caught at deep fine-leg, leaving Anderson without facing a delivery. This decision was met with disappointment from the crowd, as they missed the opportunity to see Anderson bat one last time. England finished their innings at 371 runs, with a 250-run lead by the second day’s play.

Anderson’s Unbeaten record and bowling brilliance

Although Anderson did not get to bat, he extended his unique Test record of being unbeaten in an innings 114 times, leading the chart over Courtney Walsh (61) and Muttiah Muralitharan (56).

Despite the missed batting opportunity, Anderson gave the crowd plenty to cheer about with his performance with the ball. The veteran pacer claimed two wickets, taking his all-time record tally to 703 wickets by the end of Day 2. His magical delivery to dismiss Kraigg Brathwaite, rattling his stumps, was a highlight that delighted the fans.

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Jamie Smith’s debut showcased his potential but ended on a bittersweet note due to an unfortunate decision. Meanwhile, James Anderson’s continued excellence with the ball reminded everyone of his invaluable contribution to English cricket, despite missing out on a farewell batting performance.