England players faced off against their coaches in a team bonding activity at the HPCA stadium in Dharamshala before the fifth Test against India. The challenge centered around slip catches, with each side having 20 chances. A standard catch earned one point, while an exceptional catch garnered two points.
England Cricket’s official X (formerly Twitter) account offered fans a sneak peek by sharing a video, showcasing the players and coaches actively participating in the activity. You can watch the video here:
The English team is currently behind in the five-match series, trailing 1-3. Despite starting strongly with a comeback win in the first Test in Hyderabad, they couldn’t sustain that momentum in the subsequent matches.
While they applied pressure on India for a few sessions in three games, the Rohit Sharma-led side managed to overcome it and performed exceptionally to secure victories in the Vizag, Rajkot, and Ranchi Tests, ultimately clinching the series.
“I think we’ve definitely progressed as a team” -England’s captain, Ben Stokes, before the 5th Test against India
Addressing the media in the pre-match press conference on March 6, England captain Ben Stokes discussed the team’s positive aspects and expressed the desire to conclude the series on a high note with a victory. Stokes stated:
“At 3-1, you think it’s not been a success but I look at it with completely different angles to that and I think we’ve definitely progressed as a team even though we haven’t got the results we wanted. You know, 3-2 sounds better than 3-1 or 4-1 and that’s obviously what we’re looking to do.”
Regarding the pitch and conditions in Dharamshala, he went on to say:
“Before we even got here, we were probably thinking it was going to be a three seamer one spinner attack but then when we saw the wicket and then saw it again today, I think going with two seamers and two spinners is probably the right call.”
”We felt there would probably a bit more grass on the wicket just because of where we are but overall the wicket looks an absolute belter.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.