Sink or soar? India’s fresh-look Test team set for England showdown

India begins its toughest Test transition in years with a five-match tour of England. With Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R. Ashwin moving on, a new World Test Championship cycle kicks off under Shubman Gill — a young captain leading an even younger squad into one of the most unforgiving environments in world cricket.

The challenge is clear. India hasn’t won a Test series in England since 2007. And this time, the team must make do without any of its senior batting pillars.

Light on experience

Only Rishabh Pant and K.L. Rahul bring substantial experience in English conditions. Captain Gill has played three Tests in England (two WTC finals and the rescheduled Birmingham Test), scoring just 88 runs at an average of 14.66. For others like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, and Sai Sudharsan, this will be a first taste of Test cricket in England.

Nair and Sudharsan arrive with strong domestic numbers. But Test cricket in England demands more than form — it demands adaptability.

Sudharsan earned the Orange Cap in the IPL this season, and his experience of playing county cricket for Surrey will certainly help him assess the English conditions better. In 2023, Sudharsan scored 116 runs from two matches at an average of 38.66. Last year, the southpaw racked up 165 runs from three games with a century against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

Meanwhile, Nair, back in the Indian team after seven years, began with a double century for India A against England Lions. A consistent performer for Vidarbha, he scored 863 runs in nine Ranji games in the 2024-25 season, and 779 in eight Vijay Hazare matches, with nine centuries across formats.

The composure Nair showed against the England Lions wasn’t accidental. It reflected the seasoning that comes from a proper County grind. Across two seasons with Northamptonshire (2023–24), Nair played 10 Championship matches and averaged 56.61.

Still, the real test is whether this domestic and A-team form can translate into performances in a long, high-stakes series abroad.

Recent red-ball struggles

India’s recent form in Tests has been patchy. A shock whitewash at home against New Zealand was followed by a 1-3 defeat in Australia.

While Kohli and Rohit struggled across both series, others didn’t step up either.

Pant was India’s top scorer against New Zealand with 261 runs at 43.50. Jaiswal managed 190 at 31.66; Sarfaraz Khan, 171 at 28.50.

India’s tour of Australia offered flashes of promise — Jaiswal’s 391 runs, centuries from Rahul and Nitish Kumar Reddy — but the batting unit failed to sustain pressure or seize key moments. Pant had a quiet outing and a poor IPL as LSG captain. Yet, as vice-captain, he is likely to start. But there’s competition. Dhruv Jurel, who has proven his mettle with 227 runs from four innings for India A against England Lions.

Leadership vacuum

India came close to winning in England last time, leading 2-1 before the COVID-delayed fifth Test ended in defeat. In that series, Rohit led the charts with 368 runs, including a century and two fifties, followed by Rahul (315), Cheteshwar Pujara (306), Ravindra Jadeja (287), and Kohli (249). India may not have sealed the series, but its batting unit delivered a performance full of grit and intent.

Now, the captain is young and under pressure. So is the squad.

“There are two ways of looking at this tour. One is we are without our three most experienced players or we got this phenomenal opportunity to do something special for the country,” Gambhir was quoted as saying by bcci.tv. That decision-making begins with Gill’s own batting position. He’s been used at No.3 recently, but given his struggles in England, a move to No.4 could shield him from the new ball and help him settle into leadership.

“I think Sudharshan and Jaiswal will open the batting (in England) as Sudharshan just looks like a class player to me and technically I think he could do well at Test level,” Ponting said on ICC Review, adding: “They’ll have two pretty young opening batters, so they might look to go for someone that’s got a bit more experience at No. 3.”

That raises a straight contest between Nair and Rahul for the No.3 spot. “Shubman might end up being that No.4 player, which will probably make life for him a little bit easier as a captain as well. Not having to be opening or batting at No.3 as a young captain might make it easier,” Ponting said.

Bumrah watch

India’s challenges aren’t limited to batting. Jasprit Bumrah is expected to feature in only three of the five Tests as part of workload management.

That puts pressure on the rest of the pace unit: Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep — none of whom has led an attack in England. All-rounders Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy offer backup, but both looked undercooked in the India A matches.

“The guys have stepped up by themselves, they have taken the ownership and responsibility, they’ve realised it’s going to be a tough tour. That’s the pleasing thing for us as coaches, to see guys taking that leadership and ownership at practice,” India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel said, adding: “England – the brand of cricket they play, we need to be on top of our game. We can’t afford to find our feet in this series.” The coaching staff is optimistic, but performances will need to match that belief — especially in Bumrah’s absence.

The venue spread adds another layer of complexity:

India has never won at Edgbaston (7 losses, 1 draw).

At Lord’s, it’s three wins in 19 Tests.

Old Trafford has been tough: four losses, five draws.

At The Oval, India has won twice — the last time in 2021.

“The bowling unit looks settled, but then, some of them have not much experience in Test cricket, so it might not be easy to claim 20 wickets in every game, and it will be important to identify that bowler who would anchor the bowling department whenever Bumrah isn’t around,” former India fast bowler Ghavri said.

Conditions vary, too. Lord’s has a 2.5-metre slope from one side to the other, which can significantly influence swing and seam. At The Oval, spin comes into play.

“In conditions where the ball swings and seams, you cannot be erratic. And it’s important to be consistent in bowling in the right areas,” Ghavri said.

Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar could be surprise options at The Oval alongside Jadeja. But for the bowlers to have an impact, the batters need to put up scores.

“Our bowlers can get those wickets, but before that, we also need to put up at least 400 odd runs. Now, the question remains, who’s going to do it?” Ghavri wondered.

India has scored 400+ just twice in its last eight Tests — once against New Zealand, once in Perth.

And this time, there’s no safety net of experience.

“Shubman has the temperament, but it needs to be seen whether he can hang in there and score those runs. Most of these players are very comfortable in T20 cricket, so it’s not easy to switch formats. In such a crucial tour, Shubman, Rahul, (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan need to step up and steady the batting order.”

On paper, the squad has talent. But it must win critical moments. That, more than match-ups or averages, will define this tour.

The TV promo is bold: “Sikhne nahi, seekhane aaye hain…”

Now they’ll need to prove it — not just with intent, but with execution.