Major talking points from India’s Test squad for England
With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin having retired from Tests, a new look Indian side will feature in England.
With Shubman Gill taking charge of the Test side, India will walk into the all-important five-Test series against England with a fresh squad, with multiple changes from the side that last featured in Australia, amidst the inclusion of fresh faces.
Karun Nair, Shardul Thakur, Sai Sudarshan and Arshdeep Singh all join the red-ball setup for England, which will have a major bearing on how the playing XI shapes up in England.
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.
We look at the major takeaways from the 18-member squad announced for the series that will mark the beginning of the new ICC World Test Championship cycle:
Karun back in the fray
A notable inclusion is that of Karun Nair, who last played a Test match for India back in 2017. The right-handed batter, who scored a triple hundred for India in his third Test, has received a call-up on the back of an impressive domestic season.
“At the moment, Karun has scored heaps of runs in domestic, has played a bit of Test cricket, played a bit of county cricket. With Virat not there, clearly we're lacking a bit of experience. We felt his experience could help,” said Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the BCCI’s selection committee at the press conference in Mumbai.
Nair is likely to play a pivotal role in the middle-order, having done so for India in the past as well as for Vidarbha in recent seasons of domestic cricket.
Bumrah’s fitness for five Tests
With Jasprit Bumrah having recently marked his return to competitive cricket on the back of an injury setback during the Test series in Australia, Agarkar elaborated on the pacer’s fitness for the lengthy series in England.
“I don’t think he is available for all five Tests. Again, that is what the physios and the doctors have told us, whether it's four or three, the workload…needless to say how important he is, even if he is available for three or four Tests.
“We’re just glad that he’s fit, the setback that he had in Australia wasn’t too bad.”
Arshdeep offers 'variety'
Another key component of India’s bowling attack is the addition of left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh.
India’s leading wicket-taker in the T20Is, Arshdeep is yet to play a Test for the team, but has received the confidence of the selection committee on the back of his County Championship stints.
"He's a quality bowler and has had a taste of County (cricket) as well. A tall guy, who can bowl with the new ball, has a body of work in red-ball cricket, and recent form in the last couple of years," said Agarkar.
BCCI’s chairman of the selection committee also pinpointed that with Arshdeep, the bowling attack gets ‘variety’ in a left-arm quick option that will come in handy in English conditions.
All-round quartet
India have persisted with their proven formula of banking on a quartet of all-rounders, having clinched the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year with the same.
The touring group for England will feature four all-rounders as well, albeit a mix of options in two spin and as many pace all-rounders.
The dexterous Shardul Thakur has been brought back into the Test squad to accompany Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was impressive in his maiden Test series against Australia.
"Shardul is a bowling allrounder, sometimes you need a player like that depending on team balance. He's going on the (India) A tour as well. Nitish Kumar Reddy is a batting allrounder at this point, hopefully his bowling will come along as well," Agarkar explained the selection call.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja will have the company of Washington Sundar in the spin all-rounder column. While Jadeja has been India’s first-choice among all-rounders, Sundar also boasts previous red-ball experience outside of India.
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Number four dilemma
Asked on who will be taking over the fabled number four spot in the Indian lineup in England, Agarkar clarified that the final call on the matter would be taken by the team management.
"I think GG (Gautam Gambhir) and Shubman (Gill) might take a call on that once they get there,” he said.
Having made his comeback in the Test squad after seven years, Karun Nair can step into the position. The newly appointed skipper Gill himself is among the top candidates for the role, having already taken over the number three position after opening in the initial phase of his Test career.
Also a handy alternative is that of Rishabh Pant, who has had success in the lower middle order, but can provide an explosive option with his counter-attacking technique.