After a month-long break, Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team has regrouped in Chennai to start preparations for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The series begins on September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. (More Cricket News)
The entire squad, including captain Rohit and batting stalwart Virat Kohli, assembled for the first practice session on Friday under the guidance of new coach Gautam Gambhir. New bowling coach Morne Morkel was also present.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared images from the first day of practice, captioning it, "The countdown starts as Team India begin their preps for an exciting home season." The photos showed the team intently listening to Gambhir and his support staff.
Rohit arrived in Chennai on Thursday, while Virat flew in from London. Other key players, including Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant, had arrived earlier.
Following a disappointing ODI series loss to Sri Lanka in August, the team aims to bounce back under Gambhir's leadership. This series marks India's first Test under former Southpaw and his new support staff.
The two-match series is highly important as it offers crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points. India is currently leading the table with 68.52 percentage points, closely followed by Australia with 62.50 percentage points. Bangladesh, fresh from their 2-0 Test series win over Pakistan, is in fourth place with 45.83 percentage points.
The series will also serve as a precursor to India's packed Test schedule, featuring a three-Test series against New Zealand and the five-match Border-Gavaskar series in Australia later this year.
The second Test between India and Bangladesh will take place in Kanpur from September 27.
