Gill confident India can heap ‘immense’ pressure on England
The newly appointed red-ball skipper spoke ahead of the departure for the tour of England, with the first Test starting 20 June in Headingley.
India's new red-ball skipper Shubman Gill is positive of India’s Test squad for the five-Test series in England.
Speaking before departure for the much-anticipated tour, Gill acknowledged that while England’s aggressive style of play makes them a challenging opposition to face, India have the goods to counter them.
“They play a certain way. I think we saw that when they came to India as well,” Gill said.
“It gives us an opportunity, it gives us a great challenge, if we are very proactive with our execution, and if we are proactive with our plans, I think it would put them under pressure immensely.”
Gill was named skipper of India’s 18-member squad that will be missing stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who recently called it quits from the longest format.
Among the seasoned campaigners in the squad is pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. The 31-year-old, who recently made a comeback from a back injury he sustained on the tour of Australia, is unlikely to be available for all five Tests to manage his workload.
Jasprit Bumrah on his multiple ICC honours for an incredible 2024 | ICC Awards
An elated Jasprit Bumrah speaks on the privilege of being honoured with multiple ICC awards for his incredible 2024 🤩 #ICCAwards
Gill, however, is confident of India’s depth in the fast bowling department.
“We have enough pace battery, a lot of fast bowlers in great space, who can win us Test matches from any situation,” he said.
“Obviously, someone like Jasprit Bumrah, whenever he would play it would be a great sight for us. But we have a great mix of bowlers.”
India squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
Nair’s form big for India, says Gambhir
In the lead up to the series, a particular positive for India saw returning middle-order batter Karun Nair score a double century for India A against England Lions.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir highlighted how Nair's presence in the India squad after seven years adds to the side.
“We know the importance of domestic cricket if you keep doing well in domestic cricket, the doors are never shut for you,” Gambhir said.
“He's got a double hundred for India A, so it's always good to have players, especially on this kind of good form among the runs. His experience will definitely come in handy, and hopefully he can deliver.”
Nair arrives in England on the back of noteworthy displays in India’s domestic cricket season and the Indian Premier League.
He also boasts vital county experience in English conditions, having played for Northamptonshire in 2023 and 2024, amassing 736 runs in 10 matches at an average of 52.57, which also included a splendid double hundred.