England players to spend free time in Bengaluru and Chandigarh before Dharamsala Test

Ranchi: The England Test squad members will split across Chandigarh and Bengaluru during the one-week break they have got ahead of the fifth and final Test against India beginning March 7 in Dharamsala.

The side has conceded a series-deciding 1-3 lead after going down by five wickets in the fourth Test here on Monday.

In the long break between the second and third Test, the whole of England squad had spent its free time in Abu Dhabi.

It was also in Abu Dhabi that the Ben Stokes-led side had trained before arriving in India for the series that began on January 25.

However, the players have chosen Chandigarh and Bengaluru for the week leading up to the Dharamsala Test.

"The squad will be split across Chandigarh and Bengaluru before the fifth Test. They are unlikely to hit the nets during the break. The squad arrives in Dharamsala about three days before the Test (March 4)," an ECB source told PTI.

The loss against India is the visitors' first series defeat in the 'Bazball' era.