India ‘A’ drew both their unofficial “Tests” against the England Lions. Here are the takeaways for the Indian camp.
Rahul will start the series at the top
With 116 and 51 in the second unofficial “Test”, KL Rahul virtually cemented his position as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening partner. Rahul was always expected to start, but the last game sealed his batting position ahead of Sai Sudharsan and, despite his 80 in the last innings, Abhimanyu Easwaran.
Rahul has a tendency of losing form as a long series goes on, but for now, there is little doubt over India’s opening pair at Headingley.
If Nitish plays the Tests, it will be as a batter...
Nitish Kumar Reddy bowls seam and can be more than good with the bat – in other words, he is an atypical Indian cricketer. In the Test series in Australia, he made 288 runs at 37.25 with a hundred at Melbourne. There is little doubt over his batting credentials, but he bowled only nine overs per Test in the series even as India desperately sought for more seam options and overbowled Jasprit Bumrah into an injury.
India used Nitish as one of their five bowlers in Australia, which affected the team balance. In the India A games, however, he played alongside five specialist bowlers (and made 135 runs at 45.00). It is very likely that he would be used as a batter if he makes it to the XI.
... but probably only if India do not pick Jurel
Nitish, however, is not the only contender for the role of that fifth batter. His wicketkeeping credentials aside, Dhruv Jurel made 94, 53 not out, 52, and 28 in the four innings here. In fact, he has hit six consecutive fifties for India A – a streak that began in South Africa in 2023/24.
Jurel failed in his only Test in Australia, but he had got runs against England at home earlier in 2024, especially in the Ranchi Test match. He got more runs than Nitish here. While it is true that Nitish bowls, it is also true that his bowling may be redundant if India play five bowlers.
... or if India do not need the extra opener
There has been wide speculations (but no official announcement) around Sai Sudharsan’s potential Test debut. India already have Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. If India do pick Sai Sudharsan (and not Easwaran), it will perhaps be to provide cushion in case of an early wicket. In that case, Shubman Gill will bat at two-drop – a position India had entrusted to Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli before him.
Unfortunately, if that happens, Karun Nair will be the fifth batter (and bat at six, below the incumbent No.5 Rishabh Pant). The double ton at Canterbury, albeit against an insipid attack, guaranteed that. However, since there is no official confirmation, there is a chance of Gill batting at three and Nair at four, opening up the No.6 slot.
Shardul may just about make the cut
In 2021, India took a conscious decision to pick four fast bowlers in “SENA” Tests. For that, were even prepared to leave out a bowler of R Ashwin’s calibre. Unfortunately, since most Indian fast bowlers had limited batting credentials, they picked Shardul Thakur.
This is not to say that Thakur the bowler did not live up the expectations. A bowling average of 28.38 is more than impressive for the fourth seamer of an attack. Among Indian seamers, only Jasprit Bumrah has more Test wickets at a better strike rate than Thakur’s 47.
Along with this bowling, he also provides batting cushion at No.8. In this series, he struck twice at Canterbury but went wicketless at Northampton – but scored 27, 19, and 34. Reasonable outings with the bat, an ability to take wickets, and an experience of playing Test cricket in England may tilt the balance in his favour, at least to begin with.
