With three major players out of equation, India might look different against England
The dreaded day for Indian cricket fans has come. After days of reports suggesting that Virat Kohli has informed the BCCI about retiring from Tests, the batting great confirmed the news through social media posts where he announced his decision.
While it has been an expected that some day Kohli would quit his favorite format, there seemed to be a pattern just like his T20I retirement where he and Rohit Sharma had called it quits around the same time.
Rohit had retired from Tests less than a week ago, few months after Ravichandran Ashwin quit international cricket altogether in the middle of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. With the three generational greats of Indian cricket calling time, it is important to look forward to the future or just the England Test series beginning next month.
We look at how India line-up against England to begin their next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Unless there are injury concerns around him, Jaiswal has staked the claim for the opening slot in Tests with his recent performances. His rise began with the home Test series against England where he slammed two double centuries and three fifties in five-match series and was also the silver lining for the visiting Indian team in the Border Gavaskar Trophy with 391 runs from 10 innings.
KL Rahul
When Rohit Sharma was unavailable for the first Test of the BGT in Australia, Rahul stepped up to open the innings with Jaiswal. The combination immediately worked as their partnership of 201 in the second innings laid the foundation for India’s win at Perth.
Rahul also has enough experience playing long innings on English soil like a marathon 148 in 224 balls to save the Test at the Oval.
Shubman Gill (c)
The most likely candidate to lead India in the series, Gill is a great bet for the No.3 spot even though there are some doubts about it. Gill can play courageous cricket like his audacious 91 that helped India beat Australia in the epic Gabba Test in 2021. With certain tweaks to his white-ball game will surely happen and the 25-year-old has enough experience to shoulder the responsibility.
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Ajinkya Rahane/Karun Nair
It is a bold move to recall Rahane to the Test team after being sidelined for over two years, but there is enough evidence why the 36-year-old can be important in England. Being an experienced head of playing 16 Tests in England and also county cricket with Hampshire, the Mumbai captain can be among the few with an understanding of the English conditions.
Karun Nair’s inclusion might happen only if he impresses in the India A tour. But looking at the Vidarbha man’s determination in the Ranji Trophy triumph recently and his monstrous form in the Vijay Hazre Trophy, Nair looks like a man looking to challenge the very team he has a triple century against.
Rishabh Pant (wk)
The lower middle-order presence of Rishabh Pant has proven to be a turning point in many Tests for India. His two hundreds and two fifties while playing in England previously is an added advantage.
Nitsh Kumar Reddy
The 21-year-old has already shown that he is ready for the big stage with a gritty hundred and five wickets against Australia in the BGT. The youngster, while being a capable top-order batter, adds much value to the lower middle-order which provides depth to the batting order. His medium pace is the most useful asset under the overcast skies in England.
Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja can be the lone spin option while acting at a useful No.7 with the ability to add valuable runs at the toe end of batting order. In the 12 Tests he played in England, Jadeja has a batting average of 30, including a hundred and three fifties. The left-armer will be however waiting eagerly to better his bowling average of 43 on English soil having claimed 27 wickets from 21 innings.
Prasidh Krishna
An accurate seam bowler who can get you wickets in all phases of the match, Prasidh is due for a big overseas series in Test whites and England tour might just be it. While many debate the effectiveness of other regulars in the team, Prasidh’s inclusion could provide a different dimension to the Indian pace attack.
Mohammed Siraj
Siraj has tormented England on multiple occasions in his previous tour in 2021, claiming 23 wickets from six Tests, out of which India won two and drew one. While the strike bowlers have the ability to get wickets in short bursts, Siraj can be a work horse with his unrelenting lines.
Jasprit Bumrah
If fit, there’s none better than Jasprit Bumrah in swinging conditions. India’s lead bowler has the speed, swing, seam and the temperament to tear open opposition line-ups. If the workload management allows him to play all the Tests and his fellow pacers support him, Bumrah can star in another series with the ball.
Akash Deep
The Bengal pacer has been impressive in the limited opportunities he got recently against England and Australia and 15 wickets in total from seven Tests. The 28-year-old was unlucky on multiple occasions to have missed out on two five-wicket hauls in BGT. He was very disciplined with his lines that gave little away with the new ball and was able to consistently hit the good length.
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