Old order changeth as the new era begins. Whatever begins must end. That’s nature’s rule. After a fairy tale-like tenure… both Virat and Rohit had quit the game and hence made way for youngsters who will face acid test as they visit England.
Not Jasprit Bumrah but 25-year-old Shubman Gill will take over the mantle of captaincy and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will be his deputy thus unleashing a new era for Team India in Tests. Gill incidentally became India’s 37th Test captain.
Even as regulars like Gill, Pant, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, and Ravindra Jadeja will be in the playing XI, notable omissions are Mohammed Shami and Sarfaraz Khan.
However, the Think Tank had to do a lot of hard work to prepare a team that has the blend of experience and freshness and strike a balance between veterans and youth obviously keeping the English weather conditions in mind.
The best part of the Think Tank’s process was to think beyond Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteswar Pujara and this shows that the “wise men” of the BCCI not only had faith in the bench strength but the best part was that they chose to show courage to build a team from the enormous talent pool that the country has today. And this is highly laudable.
By appointing this team, the board has made one point clear and that is they are planning for the future and for that the team management is ready to take risks but prepare a solid blueprint for the future and not rely on old war horses and keep fresh and youth power in the cold stage.
Gill who is yet to establish himself in the Test squad has been appointed with one thing in mind that the management is ready to give him a long rope and this is certainly not a quick fix decision.
Speaking on Gill’s appointment, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said, “You don't pick captains for one or two tours.”
"We've seen improvement in his leadership - yes, in T20 cricket with Gujarat Titans - but we take feedback from various sources. We're hopeful he's the right person to lead this team."
LONG LINE OF BATTERS
Team India included Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Karun Nair in the batting line up, while KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Gill are expected to take the extra burden of scoring in the middle. In the whole process, it is expected that one of the newcomers will create a mark.
Having scored tons of runs across all formats of the games, Sudharsan, who also has the exposure in County cricket is likely to considered for a debut in the opening match.
Easwaran also stands a bright chance for a berth and Agarkar explained that Nair’s experience in the absence of Kohli was a deciding matter over Sarfaraz getting the axe.
"Karun has scored heavily in domestic cricket, has Test and County experience. With Virat missing, we're short on experience in the middle order, and felt his profile suited that need," Agarkar said.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer’s absence raised several eyebrows. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that there was ‘no room’ for him in the team and urged him to ‘keep doing well’ to get a chance.
Iyer last played Tests for India against England on home turf in February 2024. However, bad form and a back issue played spoilsport for him midway through the series. Since then, he has only played white-ball formats on the global circuit. However, his form in the most recent Ranji Trophy season was pretty good with 480 runs at an average of 68.57, with two centuries.
“Shreyas Iyer had a good One-Day series," Agarkar, however, told the media.
“Shardul is a bowling allrounder," Agarkar explained. “Sometimes with the way the team’s structured, you need a bowler like that who can bat a bit. Nitish Reddy showed what he can do with the bat. He’s going on the A tour as well, so he’ll get some bowling under his belt. But he’s a young player who has obviously impressed with the bat and who can also bowl, if the conditions in England. It’ll depend on the team management at that point but he’s a batting all-rounder, hopefully his bowling keeps coming on as well."
NUMBER 4 DILEMMA
The multi-dollar question about who will replace King Kohli at number 4 is still unclear. Agarkar said captain Gill and coach Gambhir will take a call once they reach England. However, according to some Gill is the frontrunner to drop to that slot.
ALL-ROUNDERS GALORE
India have named four all-rounders. Shardul Thakur is back and will join the ranks with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja. It's likely to be a direct contest between Shardul and Nitish for the seam-bowling (all-rounder's) slot. Despite a modest IPL 2025 season, selectors may be interested in Nitish.
BOWLING DEPTH
While Kuldeep Yadav is the only specialist spinner, Jadeja is expected to deliver his services as the other spinner. The pace unit looks strong, though Bumrah is not expected to play all five Tests. Agarkar confirmed that while Bumrah remains the leader of the pace attack, the decision was made to keep in mind his immense workload.
Haunted by fitness issues, Mohammed Shami has been left out. The veteran star in the bowling department struggled in the IPL 2025.
Harshit Rana failed to make it while Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep got the berths. Harshit's hit-the-deck style failed to make the cut for playing conditions.
While Arshdeep has been impressive with the white ball, he also has a county stint where he left a mark.
"He's a quality bowler, has County experience, plays domestic cricket regularly. He's tall, can swing the new ball, and has built a decent body of work in red-ball cricket over the past couple of years," said Agarkar.
Now, it is left to see how the boys perform to carry on the legacy of the greats like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Shami.
However, at the end of the day we must acknowledge the fact that ONLY CHANGE IS PERMANENT.
(Robin Roy is a senior journalist and Former Senior Associate Editor,
O Heraldo, Goa)