India to play two warm-up games before West Indies Test series

India will play two warm-up games before the gruelling four-match Test series against the West Indies during their 49-day tour to the Caribbean, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Thursday.

The tour will start with a two-day practice match from July 9 in St. Kitts followed by a three-day warm-up match from July 14 at the same venue.

The first Test will begin from July 21 at the Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda while the second from July 30 at the Sabina Park in Jamaica.

The newly named Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium at St. Lucia will host the third Test from August 9 while the final match will be played at the Queen's Park Oval from August 18 in Trinidad and Tobago.

The West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) head of operations Roland Holder said all the four venues "are ready to host the visiting Indian team".

The Virat Kohli-led team is expected to depart for the Caribbean on July 6 with a new coaching staff, applications for which were advertised by the BCCI on Wednesday.

The deadline for the applications is June 10 and the new staff is expected to be announced by June 25.

--IANS

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