Top 5 Indian players who might not be a part of the Indian Test squad for England tour ft. Ravindra Jadeja and Shubman Gill
After a disappointing performance in Australia losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, the Indian team’s next big challenge in the longest format of the game will be a tour to England in June where India is set to play a 5-match Test series which will begin in Leeds and end at The Oval to win the coveted Pataudi Trophy.
A chance to get back at winning ways for India
The Indian team will look forward to gaining some momentum and winning streak in Test cricket considering the fact that the team has not been unable to win silverware in Test cricket recently. India will arrive in England at the backdrop of a crushing defeat at home against New Zealand and a disappointing end to the decade of dominance as they lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia.
Not only that, with their consecutive series losses, the Indian team failed to reach the finals of the World Test Championship set to be held in June this year at the Lord’s. The Indian team instead gave way to Australia to proceed to the finals and defend the Test mace against South Africa. Thus a lot is at stake on the tour to England as far as India’s future in Test cricket is concerned. Keeping in perspective the need to make significant changes in the squad, here are 5 players who should not be a part of the Indian squad for the upcoming tour to England.
Also Read: Top 5 highest follow-on totals in Test defeats ft. Pakistan
5 players who should be excluded from the Indian squad for the Pataudi Trophy
1. Rohit Sharma
The Indian skipper had a dreadful season both with the bat and as a captain. Not only has Rohit reached the peak of his prowess in Test cricket but the 37-year-old cannot even keep up with the ever changing dynamics of the game. Rohit’s consistency with the bat and his decisions as the Indian skipper both have been under serious questions. Rohit had a disappointing season with the bat in Test cricket. The Indian skipper Rohit has played a total of 14 Test matches this season and scored619 runs with a meagre average of 24.76. A glimpse of the sorry state of affairs for Rohit from the bat is evident from the fact that the Hitman of Indian cricket has scored his last Test century way back in March this year against England in Dharamsala. Hence, time has now come for Rohit to focus on white ball cricket and keep the prospect of leading in Test aside.
2. Virat Kohli
The only difference between Rohit and Kohli’s situation is that the former Indian skipper has shown some glimpses of promise with the bat during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. But, even he has lost the familiar touch he once had. Pace bowling has been a nightmare for the 36-year-old. During the Australia tour, Kohli repeatedly fell into the trap of playing a cover drive on outside off-stump balls and giving his wicket away in the process. Although his form has been consistently declining, Kohli hit a new low in his career in 2024 with just one century in 19 innings. Kohli needs to work on his skill-set in the nets and play red-ball cricket at the domestic level if he wants to continue playing Test cricket for India.
3. Ravindra Jadeja
The all-rounder may not be as big a disappointment as Rohit and Kohli, but it’s time for some serious introspection over his role in the team. Pitches in England generally favour seam movement, particularly during the initial few days of the match. Furthermore, the ball tends to swing the entire day on English wickets unlike Australia. Jadeja may come as a viable spin alternative for the team but the English conditions require an extra pace alternative to rest the main bowlers. India can opt to pick an extra pacer instead of Jadeja and go for a more traditional spinner bowler like Washington Sundar or Kuldeep Yadav and have extra depth in the team as far as the bowling department is concerned. Additionally, Nitish Kumar Reddy has proved his worth as an all-rounder in the Indian team and it is likely that the youngster can bat at No.6 as meritoriously as he did at No.7 in Australia.
4. Mohammed Siraj
To sum up Siraj’s Australia tour; the intensity is there, but the sharpness in bowling he once had isn’t there anymore. Putting some promising glimpses like Australia’s first innings in the Sydney Test aside, Siraj has failed to wreak havoc in the batters’ hearts like he once used to. Consistency is the key in English conditions and Siraj’s lack of the same can be a liability to the squad if he gets selected. Although Siraj took 26 wickets in the previous season, but the Indian pacer could not trouble the batters consistently. This is evident from his performance in Australia. While he took 4 wickets in the first Australian innings in Adelaide, Siraj could never hit the same high in the series in the next 3 Test matches. The 30-year-old needs to get back to his best and focus on making an impact at consequential moments and therefore could be excluded from the squad for England if Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami re-gain their fitness by that time.
5. Shubman Gill
A young exclusion from the squad is never easy. However, Gill has failed to give any reasons to the selectors for not dropping him for the England tour. Particularly in overseas conditions, his form has been dreadful for some time now. Gill has scored a total of 401 runs in the 2024-25 season with a batting average of 33.41, a stark decline from his record in the previous season in which he scored 526 runs with an average of 43.83. Thus the youngster needs to re-work on basics and develop Test level temperament in order to become a consistent No.3 for the team in Test cricket.
Also Read: S. Badrinath questions Shubman Gill’s selection in the Indian team; spews fuming remarks over his batting woes
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January 08, 2025 at 07:30AM
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