India will finally get some game time after the debacle of the ICC World Test Championship final, which they lost to New New Zealand in Southampton, with a warm-up game against County Select XI. Then, Virat Kohli & Co will get some more free time before taking on England in a five-match Test series, starting August 4. (More Cricket News)
The three-day match has been accorded first-class status, a first for India in many years. Meaning this will be treated as an official match. So, there will be team selection head-ache for the tourists, especially the wicketkeeper's role.
With Rishabh Pant and Wriddhiman Saha still unavailable, thanks to COVID-19, India are certain to pick KL Rahul. And the likes of batsman Mayank Agarwal and pacer Mohammed Siraj may get a chance to prove their worth.
Yes, the match will be played behind closed doors with the Indian contingent already reporting multiple COVID-19 positive cases.
Who are Select County XI?
In earlier years, Select County XI was commonly called "Combined Counties" which always had a first-class fixture against the touring countries.
Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes will lead the 14-member side, which also features recent Test debutant James Bracey and Nottinghamshire opener Haseeb Hameed, who made his Test debut against India in 2016.
Match and telecast details
Match: County Select XI vs Indians, 3-day warm-up match
Days: July 20 (Tuesday) to July 22 (Thursday), 2021
Time: 3:30 PM IST everyday/ 11:00 AM Local
Venue: Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street
TV Channel: Not available
Live Streaming: The match will be available to watch live via Durham County Cricket Club's YouTube channel.
Also, ball-by-ball commentary will be available on BBC radio.
Squads
County Select XI: Will Rhodes (Warwickshire - captain), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Tom Aspinwell (Lancashire), Ethan Bamber (Middlesex), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Jack Carson (Sussex), Zak Chappell (Nottinghamshire), Haseeb Hameed (Nottinghamshire), Lyndon James (Nottinghamshire), Jake Libby (Worcestershire), Craig Miles (Warwickshire), Liam Patterson-White (Nottinghamshire), James Rew (Somerset), Rob Yates (Warwickshire).
Indians: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul (wk), Hanuma Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma.
