Team India sport black armbands during practice match to mourn the demise of former India cricketer Yashpal Sharma

Team India's preparations for the Test series have officially gotten underway today. Opener Rohit Sharma is leading the Indian side in the practice match against County XI.

Regular skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane have missed the game to give match practice to the likes of Hanuma Vihari and KL Rahul before the Test series commences in August.

The officials have already accorded first-class status to this contest. Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first in the game. The Indian openers came into bat in their regular white jerseys along with a black armband. They wore the band to mourn the sad demise of former India cricketer Yashpal Sharma last week.

The BCCI shared the same on its official Twitter handle. They posted the following tweet with the caption:

#TeamIndia are sporting black armbands to mourn the sad demise of former India cricketer Yashpal Sharma ji, who sadly passed away on 13th July after a cardiac arrest. Head Coach @RaviShastriOfc was his teammate in the 1983 World Cup winning squad.

#TeamIndia are sporting black armbands to mourn the sad demise of former India cricketer Yashpal Sharma ji, who sadly passed away on 13th July after a cardiac arrest. Head Coach @RaviShastriOfc was his teammate in the 1983 World Cup winning squad. pic.twitter.com/A72aZ258aT

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 20, 2021

---

County Select XI vs. India – Match details

Team management has decided to rest Test regulars like Ishant, Mohammed Shami, and Ashwin for the practice match. It is a great opportunity for the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Bumrah to get into the rhythm before the all-important 5-match Test series against England. Axar Patel has also been given a chance to showcase his skills overseas.

India playing XI - Rohit Sharma (c), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

County select XI: Haseeb Hameed, Jake Libby, Robert Yates, Zak Chappell, Will Rhodes (c), James Rew (wk), Liam Patterson-White, Jack Carson, Lyndon James, Craig Miles, Avesh Khan

Toss - India won and elected to bat first

Venue - Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street in Durham

Brilliant from @TrentBridge's Lyndon James who picks up his second. Agarwal bowled for 28 👏Live Stream ➡️ https://t.co/ZoY9QkxDQk#CountyXIvIndia @CountyChamp pic.twitter.com/PWOlck8Y5o

— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) July 20, 2021