The BCCI will create a strategy to prepare players for the England Tests during the IPL

Indian players may have to coordinate different tasks because of the interleaving season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

They will not be solely white-ball players for the entire two-month duration as there may be some red-ball activities as well. This is quite simply due to the away Test series of 5 matches in England during June and July after the IPL. For more latest cricket Update; Click Here

Australia register highest chase in ICC tournaments

Dew made life easier for Australia, admits Inglis

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has pledged its focus on keeping players in touch with Test cricket in the IPL season and is formulating a plan to achieve this. It is expected that players will be instructed to attend some red-ball practice or some unorthodox practice sessions specially designed for some specific players. Clearly, the BCCI is trying to resolve the issue of losing five day matches. The IPL has dates from March 22 to May 25, while the opening game of the Test series is at Headingley on June 20.

While it may not be clear how the plan will be put into action, some initial discussions about the overlapping system have already taken place. The Indian team management has collaborated with the BCCI, and some deliberations were conducted in Dubai, where the players are currently busy with the Champions Trophy.

The decision makers had a short conversation about the roadmap for these mixed activities right after the Dubai Friends Cup (the India-Pakistan match) on Sunday. More meetings will be held after the Champions Trophy wraps up on March 9. The IPL is set to start less than two weeks after that.

The BCCI usually loosens its grip during the IPL, allowing players to concentrate fully on their franchises. However, BCCI’s gulf of knowledge is broad enough to register India’s post IPL (barring one) away series defeats to England. Take, for instance, the 2011 series that had a 4-0 conclusion along with the 2014 serires where the home team swept the contest 3-1 or, India’s 4-1 loss in the 2018 series.

Curiously enough, the most recent result of the 2021 away series ( which was beginning to feel like it had skipped some useful middle elements as one leg was played a year later as a consequence of COVID) was a two-all draw. India were ahead 2-1 in the series before Covid stopped play in summer 2021. Nevertheless, the recent Test results has Ghatpande worried. There has been a distressing home series loss against New Zealand 3-0 and a subsequent very poor showing in Australia 3-1.

Even though the details regarding how the BCCI intends to keep the players fit and ready for Test cricket is not public knowledge, it is evident that steps have already been taken towards this.