This is how Rahane, Pujara are preparing for Test Championship
India's seven Test specialist cricketers are all set to play the 2019 County Championship ahead of the ICC World Test Championship. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Hanuma Vihari, Mayank Agarwal, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sharma would be playing in England this year. The Test Championship commences from 2019 and these players believe the County experience will help them prepare for the coveted tournament.
What is World Test Championship?
The ICC World Test Championship is a league based tournament, designed for the longest format of the game. It has been approved by the ICC. The tournament is set to run from 2019 to 2021. It would be the most premier Test cricket tournament to date by the ICC. With this, the global body wants to reignite the excitement among fans about red-ball cricket.
Whom all do India play in World Test Championship?
India are clubbed alongside the other Test playing nations including Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Windies. Each team would play at least six opponents of the eight. Interestingly, the Men in Blue will not play Pakistan in the first two editions of the tournament, due to political tensions between the two countries.
Indians in County Championship 2019
A senior BCCI official said, "With India set to play against the Caribbean in about fortnight after the end of the World Cup, the BCCI has prepared a proposal wherein their Test specialists can play some red ball cricket in months of June till mid-July."
What is County Championship?
County Championship is England's domestic cricket tournament. Currently, Surrey are the defending champions. They had won their 20th title in 2018. Meanwhile, out of 18 teams, Yorkshire are the most successful side in the tournament, having won the title 33 times.
BCCI eyeing Test success in Windies
The prime reason as to why Indians would undergo County stint is because of their upcoming Test series in Windies. The BCCI feels that the conditions in England are fairly similar to that in Windies. Besides, playing First-class cricket with the red Dukes would give them an added advantage while playing in the Caribbean, where too the same balls would be used.
Which teams would acquire these Indians?
As of now, only Pujara is set to play for Yorkshire, while Rahane is likely to sign a contract with Hampshire. Meanwhile, the other players are yet to strike a deal with their respective counties. Indian skipper Virat Kohli was to play for Surrey last season, but missed out due to injury. There is no clarity about Virat Kohli, as of now.
Indians focus on IPL12 and World Cup
As of now, the Men in Blue are focusing on the ongoing IPL, playing for their respective franchises. Following the conclusion of the IPL, the top players are set to move their attention to the ICC World Cup 2019, that gets underway from next month. As for the other top Test players, they will shift their focus to the County.
