India's T Dilip Visits Tirumala Temple Ahead of England Test Series
T Dilip's Spiritual Visit Before England Tour
On May 25, T Dilip, the fielding coach for India, made a spiritual journey to the Tirumala Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, where he offered his prayers ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series against England.
This temple, dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, is a significant pilgrimage site, drawing millions of visitors each year who seek blessings.
Dilip's visit comes as India prepares for the Test series, which is part of the 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship, scheduled from June to August 2025.
The matches will be held at iconic venues including Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's in London, Old Trafford in Manchester, and The Oval in London.
This series marks India's first bilateral engagement following the recent retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket.
In a significant development, Shubman Gill has been named the new Test captain, with Rishabh Pant appointed as his vice-captain, as announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Abhimanyu Easwaran has been included in the Test squad, recognized for his impressive domestic record with Bengal, where he has accumulated 7,674 runs in 101 first-class matches, averaging 48.87 with 27 centuries.
Despite a challenging tour in Australia last year, where he managed only 36 runs across four innings, Easwaran's inclusion reflects India's strategy for the series.
With Kohli's departure from Test cricket, emerging talents like Sai Sudarshan and seasoned player Karun Nair have been added to strengthen the middle order.
Leading the bowling attack will be right-arm seamer Jasprit Bumrah, supported by Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Shardul Thakur.
India's Test squad for the England series includes: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.