London, June 13 (IANS) India bowling coach Morne Morkel has expressed satisfaction with the intensity displayed by the players during the training camp and stressed that consistency in practice as well as on the field will be crucial in England.

The five-match Test series will commence on June 20 in Leeds before the action moves to Birmingham for the second Test. The Lord’s Cricket Ground will host the third Test, beginning on July 10. Old Trafford and Kennington Oval will host the fourth and fifth Tests of the series respectively.

Are grinding it out in the training sessions since arriving in the UK on June 7, Team India will play an intra-squad match starting in Beckenham on Friday.

“In the two-day practice so far, the conditions suited the fast bowlers. It was testing for the batters, which also in a way helps them to prepare for what’s to come. I don’t think the wicket is going to be as spicy as the ones we experienced here,” Morkle said in a video shared by BCCI on social media.

“There’s been a lot of good banter between bat and ball, but I think it’s only because the wickets are a lit bit spicy. As soon as the wickets go flat, the bowlers tend to back off. I am gonna tell them not to only talk when the wickets are nipping around, but when it’s flat, that’s where we are gonna need the character.

“I think consistency is crucial in England and there is consistency when we practice, there’s consistency off the field, finding your process, what’s going to work for you as an individual. We’ve got a great variation, variety in our attack, guys with different skill sets so they can do that and still execute the basics well,” he added.

The five-Test series will kick off the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for both teams. India last featured in a Test match during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in January and since then, players have been engaged in white-ball competitions including the Champions Trophy and the IPL.

“All in all, happy with the start so far. I was a little bit nervous in terms of the lack of red ball we’ve played, but seeing how the guys are moving around and training in the last three days is a pleasing sight. We have a fantastic group… There’s some quality energy and that’s what you need. You need to go into a Test series confident and have that team spirit…” said Morkel.

–IANS

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