MS Dhoni will lead an India side out for one final time as India 'A' play an England XI in the first warmup match at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday.
India vs England warm-up matches all you need to know
With the India vs England ODI and T20 series set to begin on Sunday, the two practice matches will play an important role in getting the players into their groove – which is pretty much why these warm up games are played. Dhoni, who has had no cricket since the New Zealand one-dayers will be keen to get that ball hitting the middle of the bat again while he will, no doubt, relish captaining an India-level team for one last time.
After announcing his decision to step down as ODI and T20 captain, Dhoni will skipper this India 'A' side on Tuesday and it is a pretty strong unit too. Apart from the great man himself, the team will have Yuvraj Singh, making another comeback into the international fold, Ashish Nehra, Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya.
Yuvraj will want to make an impression just to ensure he has a place in the playing XI for the ODIs and T20s against England, while this will also be an important game for Dhawan, who is making another return from an injury. Dhawan has not convinced too many of late, so there will be some pressure on the left-hander to deliver during the ODI series.
Nehra will be playing his first proper match – not that a warmup can be considered one of those – since suffering a major injury during IPL 2016. So, Dhoni, Virat Kohli and the selectors will want to make sure the left-armer, selected for the three T20Is, is ready for the rigours of international cricket.
Hardik Pandya is another making a return from an injury sustained during the Test series against England. The all-rounder is key to India's balance in the playing XI, so Kohli will hope he comes through without too many problems in this first warm-up match.
The England players will be keen to get a hit out in the middle as well, particularly the limited-overs specialists who did not feature at all during the Test series. England captain Eoin Morgan has a bit to prove after copping a lot of criticism for deciding against touring Bangladesh, while the likes of Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and more will look to get back to ODI mode.
Where to Watch Live
India A vs England XI is scheduled for a 1.30pm IST (8am GMT, 3am ET) start. The warm-up match will be shown live on TV on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD2 in India. Live Streaming will be on Hotstar.
Live score will be available on BCCI's official website.
Note: Entry to watch the warm-up match is free, so if you're in Mumbai and feel like watching world-class players, do go in.
