Mumbai: India’s cricket selectors will set the ball rolling for the team’s long transition journey in the longest format when they pick a new Test captain and finalise the squad for what is expected to be a challenging five-match series in England, here on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Shubman Gill is a clear favourite to land the high-profile job as Indian embarks on a new World Test Championship cycle following the retirement of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in a span of one week.
By simple logic, Jasprit Bumrah was the vice-captain on the previous tour of Australia and he should be elevated to the leadership role but question marks over his long-term fitness and workload management are likely to go against him on the discussion table.
Rishabh Pant has had a forgettable IPL but he remains a vital part of India’s transition phase in the Test format. The selectors are likely to make him vice-captain.
Barring the leadership conundrum, no major shake-up is expected.
Though Rohit and Kohli’s exit leaves a massive void, the likes of K L Rahul can provide much-needed experience in the batting department.
Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are expected to open in the first Test beginning in Leeds on June 20 but hot on their heels will be Sai Sudharsan, who is likely to be picked as a reserve opener.
It remains to be seen if one among Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan or Shreyas Iyer make it as an additional specialist batter.
Following the retirement of another stalwart, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja will be lead spinner in the squad and it would be interesting to see if the selectors go with two or three spinners in English conditions.
If the number is two, then Washington Sundar may get the nod ahead of Kuldeep Yadav, who is a proven match-winner across formats.
Pant is the leading wicket-keeper batter and the choice for a reserve too his rather straight forward with Dhruv Jurel set to be retained.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar is expected to address the media after squad announcement and talk about the road ahead for the team undergoing a rebuilding process.
There is enough experience in the pace department led by Bumrah but will he last the rigours of a five-match series? There are also concerns over Mohammed Shami’s fitness.
Can his ageing body recover fast enough in between a long series? Mohammed Siraj is set to be the third pacer in the squad. If the selectors decide to pick five fast bowlers then Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, who is yet to play Test cricket, will also be in the mix.
If the five wise men go for a left-arm pacer, Arshdeep will have competition from Khaleel Ahmed.
The squad will be made public a week before India A begin their tour of England. Any last-minute replacement to the Test squad is likely to come from that shadow tour comprising two four-day games.
