Here are five takeaways from India’s 18-member squad for the upcoming five Test matches in England.
Indian squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Arshdeep Singh.
Long-term leadership investments
Gill and Pant have both stepped in to lead India in T20Is. They are well-established captains in the IPL. At the same time, they have led in only five first-class matches each.
However, Gill is only 25. Unless he is injured, he will lead India in all five Test matches in England. If he does that, he will become only the fourth Indian – after MAK Pataudi (22), Kapil Dev (20), Sachin Tendulkar (25), and Virat Kohli (6) – to lead India in five Tests before his 26th birthday. By the Sri Lanka series, Gill will surpass Kohli. Pant is about two years older than Gill.
There is little doubt that India appointed them with an eye on the future. It can be debated (rightly) that Gill’s Test record in ‘SENA’ countries does not make for great reason. At this point, he may not fit the basic requirement of a Test captain – of being an automatic selection. India have, after all, played only one Test since they had left him out at Melbourne.
“You don’t pick captains for one tour or two tours,” explained chair of selectors Ajit Agarkar at the press conference. “You want to try and invest in something that's going to help us going forward.”
Gill has to carve a future for himself as well as for the Indian side. If it comes off, Indian cricket will not have to worry about the role for a decade.
An extra fast bowler – and the probable reason
India retained Bumrah, Siraj, Prasidh, Akash, Jadeja, and Reddy from the squad for the Australia tour last winter.
From that squad, R Ashwin has retired (he was replaced by Tanush Kotian mid-series), and Harshit Rana has been dropped. Instead, India now have Kuldeep (who was injured when India toured Australia), Thakur, and Arshdeep. In other words, they have added a specialist bowler to the mix.
Being a left-armer might have given Arshdeep the edge, but what is important to note is that India willingly backed a fast bowler over an extra batter or all-rounder. It is more of a structural change in the team.
In Australia, India made some bizarre calls, even going in with three all-rounders, all of whom none had little role to play with the ball. Not only did that deprive India of bowling depth but it also led to a predictable injury to Bumrah.
What changed? One reason can be that India have realised that Reddy’s primary role is with the bat. In Australia, he scored 298 runs at 37.25 (second among Indians in both charts) but bowled only 44 overs across give Tests. If he plays, it will have to be as one of the batters, not the fourth seamer. Bumrah, Siraj, and Jadeja can now be backed by two specialist bowlers. That necessitated the inclusion of the extra bowler.
A flexible bowling attack
Bumrah will not play all five Test matches. There is no Shami. Things look challenging for India.
But do they? India provided a glimpse of life without Bumrah and Shami twice within the span of a year. India had rested Bumrah against England at Ranchi in 2023/24. Akash Deep, on Test debut, rocked England with a triple-wicket burst in his first spell.
At Sydney in 2024/25, India made 185, and Bumrah walked off with an injury after bowling only 10 overs. Things looked hopeless, but Siraj and Prasidh tore through the Australian middle order to secure a two-run lead. Then, defending 162, they had Australia at 58-3 and then 104-4. The Test was not won, but there were enough glimpses of what was in store.
In England, India can fall back upon their tried-and-tested formula of four fast bowlers and Jadeja. Thakur’s ability with the bat may make him one of the quartet, but India may compromise batting for bowling, as they did in Cape Town in 2023/24. If the pitch assists seam, Jadeja may make way for Reddy (who may also play as a batter). If spinners are likely to get anything out of the conditions, Kuldeep may replace one of the seamers. And in Sundar, India have not only a replacement for Jadeja but also someone who has the potential to leapfrog him.
Top order decided but also not decided
Who will be India’s top four? Jaiswal, Gill, Rahul, and someone else. In what order? No one knows (barring the Jaiswal bit, that is).
Rahul had opened with Jaiswal in Australia. In 2021 in England, he was excellent at the top for India. If he opens again, India will have two gaps to fill at three and four. If Gill bats three, either an opener (Easwaran or Sai Sudharsan) or Nair will bat at four. If Nair bats there, the No.6 slot will remain somewhat open-ended. Alternately, Gill may drop to four, allowing an opener to bat at one-drop and Nair at six.
Jaiswal may also open with Easwaran or Sai Sudharsan. If that happens, Gill and Rahul may bat at three and four, but at what order? For more than three decades now, India have used their primary Test batter at No.4. That has been the coveted role.
Rahul, a natural opener, may be the better fit at No.3. Gill dropping to four makes sense. But then, the new captain may also want to bat where he has been for nearly two years now. Even Agarkar did not have an answer to the No.4 question at the press conference: he left it to the captain and the head coach.
County experience rewarded – probably
Nair (863 runs at 53.93), Sai Sudharsan (547 runs at 49.72), and Arshdeep (17 wickets at 25.76) all impressed in the Indian domestic season of 2024/25. However, there have been better performers in the same season.
So, what tilted the balance in their favour? They have all played in the County Championship. In 10 games across 2023 and 2024 for Northamptonshire, Nair scored 736 runs at 56.61. Across the same two seasons, Sai Sudharsan had 281 runs at 35.12 for Surrey. For Kent in 2023, Arshdeep took 13 wickets at 41.76.
None of these records is overly impressive (perhaps Nair’s is), but perhaps their experience helped them tilt the balance in their favour.
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