India men's and Women's teams depart for England; Kohli says India and New Zealand will be on 'equal terms' in WTC final

Indian men's team and their women counterparts departed for England late on Wednesday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to Twitter to share the pictures of players from both teams waiting to board their flight to the UK. The men's team will play six Tests in a two month long tour, including the summit clash of the World Test Championship and a five-match Test series against England. The women's team, on the other hand, will play a one-off Test against England followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is.

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— BCCI (@BCCI) June 2, 2021

The World Test Championship final will be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton between 18-22 June. Ahead of their departure, Indian skipper Virat Kohli denied New Zealand having any advantage before the marquee clash, adding that both teams will be on "equal terms" as far as the conditions in Southampton are concerned.

"The conditions (in England) are as potent for us as New Zealand... We are going to board the flight thinking that we're on equal terms and whichever team performs well session-by-session, hour-by-hour, is going to win that championship," said Kohli during the pre-departure press conference.

Earlier, Indian women's captain Mithali Raj said that the girls will be playing a Test after a long time and the presence of the men's team will help them prepare for the challenges of playing in England.

"I am sure the girls have been interacting whenever they cross paths. It is good to have the men's team here because they have played a lot in the UK and you can ask them questions, they can help out because most of the girls are playing a Test match after a long time," said Mithali on Tuesday.