India will play a crucial intra-squad warm-up match against India A from June 13 to 16 at Kent County Cricket Ground in Beckenham, ahead of their first Test against England starting June 20. This practice match marks the final on-field preparation for the Indian team. Earlier this month, India A played two unofficial Tests against the England Lions to gear up for the tour, both of which were live-streamed on JioHotstar.
In a surprising move, the BCCI announced that the match will be played behind closed doors, with no access to media or broadcasters. “June 13–16: Closed intra-squad game. No vision access to Media/Broadcast. On the final day, a player/member of support staff will be made available to the media,” BCCI said in an official statement. Although no specific reason was cited, it is understood that since the match does not hold first-class status, the board opted to keep it private—similar to pre-series preparations during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
There is some confusion over player roles, as multiple cricketers are listed in both the India and India A squads. Players like KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, and Abhimanyu Easwaran are expected to feature, but it’s unclear which side they will represent during the match. This overlap adds uncertainty about team composition and strategy for the warm-up fixture.
