Can Gill & co put right foot forward?

June 20 will mark the start of a new era for the India cricket team, a journey sans stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Led by new Test captain Shubman Gill, the Men in Blue will kick start their fresh World Test Championship cycle by taking on England in the 1st Test in Leeds on Friday.

However, with the new journey comes fresh challenges as well. From team combination to the captain walking the talk to individual responsibility, India have a lot of boxes to tick in the upcoming series.

The start of the Gill era

Shubman Gill has a huge weight on his shoulders – of leading the Indian team and being Rohit’s successor. His first assignment as captain is no easy one as he faces a tough challenge in the form of England, that too at their home. From deciding the team combination to rotation of bowlers, Gill has a lot on his plate apart from also focusing on his own batting. While he has shown his ability to lead a team well in IPL, this is the first time he will be leading a Test side.

All eyes on opening combo

With the departure of Rohit Sharma from Tests, KL Rahul is all set to once again be shuffled up in the batting order. The Karnataka batter, who has tasted success while opening the innings for India in Tests, is all but confirmed to open along with Jaiswal. However, the duo will face a tough challenge, especially if they are put in to bat first under overcast conditions.

Rahul’s prior experience of playing in England could come of good use this time around. Meanwhile, this series would be Jaiswal’s first in the UK. It would be imperative for the duo to tackle the new ball menace and provide a strong start for the team.

Who will be the new number 3?

Gill and Gambhir have kept the cards very close to their chest and refused to reveal who would be the number 3 batter. Previously, the role was essayed by Shubman Gill. However, following the departure of Virat, the Indian captain has decided to move to number 4.

India have a couple of good options for number three, but it has now turned out to be a selection headache. On one hand, there is an experienced Karun Nair who has been on a run-scoring spree and has earned his recall to the Test side after 7 long years.

On the other hand is Sai Sudharsan who has been as prolific as Nair in the recent past. Both batters have made their cases to occupy the number three spot. Meanwhile, India also have a third option in the form of Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has so far not managed to make his India debut despite being extremely consistent with the bat.

Nitish Reddy vs Shardul Thakur

Another headache that Gambhir and co will face is in deciding between Nitish Reddy and Shardul Thakur. Both all-rounders have been impressive off late (in the IND A vs ENG L series). While Thakur can surely come in as a boost for India’s bowling attack, the team is expected to prefer Nitish instead in order to strengthen their batting. Make no mistake, Shardul is no stranger to batting in England. He has three fifties from four Tests that he has played in England so far, with the last one coming in 2023.

The series against England will be the first time Nitish will be playing in the UK. He made his debut earlier in the series against Australia and scored a gritty hundred as well.

So, it might not be form vs experience which will determine whether Nitish or Shardul will make it to the playing XI. Rather, it will depend on if India want to focus on having a batter who can also bowl instead of it being the other way around in order to have a deep batting line-up.

Will Kuldeep Yadav play?

Ravindra Jadeja is all but confirmed to be a part of the playing XI, meaning India already has one spinner. Now, first visuals of the pitch at Headingley has hinted at the surface likely to be more friendly towards seamers. In that case, India might leave out their lone specialist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

However, with weather conditions playing a major role in deciding how the team line-up should look like, it remains to be seen if the leg spinner can sneak into the XI in the last-minute.

Arshdeep Singh’s debut loading?

India’s pace attack is likely to comprise of Bumrah, Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, with either Shardul or Nitish set to serve as the fourth seamer. However, the conditions in Leeds could be favouring Arshdeep Singh, who can get the ball to swing both ways. In order for the southpaw to make it to the XI, Krishna will have to be left out. Now, this is not something that India would want to do, given Prasidh’s form off late.

India squad for England Tests

 Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana