India Tour of England: Everything that happened in India's intra-squad match

The Indian squad completed the first day of their final dress rehearsal before the five-match Test series against England. The India A team has completed its England Tour, drawing both the games against England Lions. The players arrived at the Kent County Cricket Ground in Beckenham to play an intra-squad match against the main India squad. Unfortunately for the ardent fans, India's intra-squad game was unavailable to stream or even follow. The BCCI mandated for the match to be a closed-door event, as even the scorecard of the match remained out of the audience's sight. However, reports from Beckenham predict a positive turnout of the group before the India Tour of England kicks off officially on June 20.

BCCI gives insights into the intra-squad match ahead of India vs England Test series

The head coach of the India squad, Gautam Gambhir, remained absent from the proceedings of the intra-squad match. Gambhir has returned to India, tending to a family emergency, while the camp is hopeful for his timely return ahead of the opening India vs England Test at Leeds in Headingley. The BCCI shared a video from the practice in Beckenham on social media where the newly-elected Test captain was talking in a huddle. The young leader talked to the group about the areas to focus on while in the game.

Moreover, speedster Prasidh Krishna shared insights about the significance of the warm-up fixture before the main series against England. The seamer explained that the game provides an opportunity for the group to slide into a collective rhythm. Some of the players like Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur in the India squad have joined the camp in Beckenham after completing a two-match series against India A. Meanwhile, the likes of Gill and Sai Sudharsan have arrived in England directly for the five-match series after completing IPL 2025.

"I think it is really important for all of us to get this game time. Some of us are coming from the A game. Getting some time on feet is important, and that's what is going about today. Looks like a good, hard pitch," Krishna said.

"Bowlers have been in the game throughout. Have been bowling well throughout. Batsmen have also shown character. It's always good when you're competing against each other as well. All of us are excited and enjoying what's happening. All of us are experienced enough to know when to switch on and switch off," he added.

Day 1 ✅

Prasidh Krishna wraps up the opening day of the intra-squad game in Beckenham 🏏

WATCH 🎥🔽 #TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @prasidh43

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 14, 2025

India Tour of England: All that transpired on the opening day of the intra-squad match at Beckenham

The intra-squad game between India A and India started off with the players observing a minute-long silence to mourn the victims of the unfortunate Air India plane crash. The crash took the lives of over 240 passengers, with only a single survivor noted. Earlier, Australia and South Africa, playing the WTC Final 2025 at Lord's, also paid their tributes and sported black armbands on Day 3 of the Test to offer their condolences.

Meanwhile, with the intra-squad game in Beckenham unavailable to stream, only sparse information emerged to the surface. The BCCI, in a tweet, shared that Shubman Gill got off the mark with an impressive half-century. Moreover, KL Rahul, who scored a century for India A in the second unofficial Test against England Lions, piled a fifty on Day 1 of the practice match at Kent. Further reports from the venue suggested that the pitch aided the seamers at the start of the game.

Earlier, it was informed that Gautam Gambhir and the Indian bowling coach, Morne Morkel, had directed the pitch curator at Kent to prepare a balanced pitch. The requirements were for the surface to assist both the batters and bowlers in a uniform manner. Coming back to the intra-squad game, Shardul Thakur from the bowling attack remained among wickets. The India vs England series marked Thakur's return to the India squad in the pace all-rounder spot. Meanwhile, his show in the warm-up match could aid Thakur's case of selection in the India Playing XI for the main Tests ahead of the young Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Moreover, the likes of Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah were also in action on Day 1 of the intra-squad match. The second day is anticipated to kick off at 3:30 pm IST. However, similarly to the previous day's proceedings, the fans would need to rely on sparse updates about the squad's showing. The India vs England Test series is slated to start on June 20.