Gill, Bumrah, Pant set to spearhead India's Test transition
Mumbai: The change that Indian cricket has been sitting on the cusp of for a while now is finally upon it and the upcoming tour of England will mark several new beginnings for India's Test scene. They will have a new captain, a new No.4 and a new specialist spinner.
On Saturday, Ajit Agarkar, who has now been at the helm of the selection committee for close to two years, is expected to ring in the team transition and take decisions that will chart India's course in the new World Test Championship cycle (2025-27) and beyond.
When the selectors meet in Mumbai, most of these decisions will be a culmination of informal back-room deliberations that have gone on over the past two months. Shubman Gill, 25, has already been sounded out by Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir about the captaincy situation.
Not all experts agree with the idea – primarily because he is yet to realize his full batting potential - but the selectors appear convinced that Gill, India's T20I and ODI vice-captain, is the man for the long term. Rishabh Pant is in line to be named deputy.
A churn was inevitable after many of the seniors struggled in Australia. R Ashwin and Rohit retired before they could be axed. Virat Kohli's exit was less anticipated. The right-hander's Test retirement has created a giant vacuum at No.4.
Indications are that the selectors will count on Gill to step into Kohli's position. Other than the fact that batting at 4 over 3 may be easier after mentally exhausting days in the field as captain, the move would also open a playing eleven opportunity for the 23-year-old Sai Sudharsan, the most improved young batter over the past twelve months.
Ashwin's departure should propel Kuldeep Yadav into the specialist spinner role. His unorthodox specialty could help him get more game time, even in overseas conditions. Although for now, the wrist spinner will compete with the 36-year-old Ravindra Jadeja, the one senior that the selectors appear to be happy to stay invested in for his all-round skills and athleticism.
Talking of all-rounders, the selectors have to decide if they should add bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur and off spin all-rounder Washington Sundar to the mix in addition to batting all-rounder Nitish Reddy. All three can fit in, only, if India goes with a jumbo squad of 18; as five specialist pace bowlers will be a must for a five-Test series.
Back-ups for Bumrah
One of the lessons from the Australian tour is not to overexert Jasprit Bumrah. A one-of-a-kind all-format pace force, Bumrah's workload will be constantly monitored and that is the only reason why the pacer is set to lose out on captaincy.
While India would hope the pace ace can feature in four of the five Tests, his body could even limit him to playing only three. The burden to push the limits will fall on Mohammed Siraj. However, the support Siraj and Bumrah got from the other inexperienced pacers wasn't enough Down Under.
Ironically, Mohammed Shami, who India badly missed Down Under, may not even make the cut for England despite being available. His bowling is missing the zip of old ever since returning from a fourteen-month injury layoff.
This is why the Agarkar-led panel must pick the pace battery with care. The selectors have to decide if Akash Deep (7 Tests) is indeed the obvious replacement for Shami. The Bengal pacer can touch 140 kph, hit English lengths and bowl long spells. Harshit Rana is even less experienced (2 Tests). But, by contrast, he can hit the deck hard with 140-plus speeds and his attitude has caught Gambhir's fancy.
Prasidh Krishna, who has regained significant bowling fitness, is in a similar mould to Rana. But will India take only two between Deep, Rana and Krishna? Will left-armer Arshdeep Singh, looked upon as only a white-ball prospect, emerge as the dark horse for his ability to swing the ball?
Talking of dark horses, there's also the other left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar and Anshul Kamboj, another steady right-arm pacer for English conditions, who has been picked for the shadow tour before the series.
Sarfaraz or Karun Nair
Abhimanyu Easwaran may again start as the reserve opener and will get to impress the selectors in matches for India A.
It remains to be seen if the selectors retain Sarfaraz Khan or whether the Mumbai batter would be pigeon-holed as a batter for just home condition. Karun Nair, who began his Test career with a triple ton in his debut series in 2016, has put up a strong case for a comeback with consistent runs in domestic cricket and in a batting line-up short on experience, there may be a temptation to lean back on Nair, 33, in the middle order and see if he can conjure up a second wind.
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