June 6, India vs England: The Test series between India and England is to start from June 20. The Indian team will leave for this five-match series at any time. Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) called a press conference at the Mumbai headquarters on Thursday. During this, the new Test team captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir discussed important issues. Let’s know…
What did Gill say on becoming the Test captain?
Shubman Gill expressed happiness on getting the Test captaincy. He said- I was very happy when I came to know that I have been made the captain. This is a huge responsibility. There is no particular style as to what kind of captain I will be. Everyone has a personal style, I like to talk to the players and interact with them. This is very important for any team. Only then can they perform well. As a captain, I believe in taking responsibility by moving forward.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be missed
After Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket, recently Virat Kohli also said goodbye to this format. Now the responsibility of the team is on the shoulders of Shubman Gill. He has been appointed as the Test captain of the Indian team before the England tour. In the press conference, Gill said that no one can fill the void of Rohit and Virat. He said- I think there is pressure to win as a team in every tour. We will miss two experienced players who have played for us and won matches. It is difficult to fill their place.
‘There is no pressure’
During this, Gill also told that there is no pressure of any kind on the sub. He said- There is no different pressure. Every series has its own pressure and we should be ready to bear the pressure. Yes, two experienced players are not there, but in the team combination we are going with, we have a good mix of experience and youth.
During this, Gambhir also praised the team. He said- You are always in a good position. This is a five-Test series in England. This is an opportunity to perform well. It does not matter whether it is a clean slate or not. What matters is that we have a really good team. We are excited to perform well.
Which matches will Bumrah play?
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will not play all the matches. This information was given by chief selector Ajit Agarkar while announcing the Indian team. He had told that it is difficult for Bumrah to play in all the matches in view of workload management. Now coach Gambhir and captain Gill have also told that Bumrah will play only three matches. Which three matches will these be, it has not been decided yet.
Gill said- I think we have selected enough bowlers and we also have a good fast bowling attack. Our fast bowling attack has the ability to win us matches in any situation. When you have a fast bowler like Jasprit Bumrah, you are at peace. Whenever he comes and plays, it is a huge boost for us.
At the same time, Gambhir said- We have not yet decided which three matches he will play. We will discuss with them and then take a decision based on the result of the Test series. The result of the series is very important and he also knows this. We will decide after going there.
How will the playing 11 be?
During this, captain Gill also talked about the selection of the playing 11. He said that it is yet to be decided and who will play at number three and four will be decided soon. He further said- We have not really decided on the combination. We still have some time. We are playing intra-squad matches and a 10-day camp in England. We will decide the team when we go there. It remains to be seen who is going to play at number 3 and number 4.
‘I have always been against road shows’
During this, head coach Gautam Gambhir was asked a question about the Bangalore stampede. The journalist asked him who do you hold responsible for this incident? In response, the former batsman said- I am no one to hold anyone responsible. I have always believed that we don’t need to do road shows. I used to think the same when I was playing. Even after winning in 2007, I said that we should not do road shows.
People’s lives are more important and I will keep saying the same thing in the future. In the future, we should be a little more conscious about these road shows. We can probably do these road shows behind closed doors. We should not have done this. Fans get excited. The fan base is excited. But, nothing is more important than people’s lives. You can’t lose 11 people at any time. According to me, the road show should not have happened.
‘I am always under pressure’
During the press conference, Gautam Gambhir was asked if there is any pressure regarding the series? In response, he said – I am always under pressure, whether we get results or not. If you had asked me this question after the New Zealand series, I would have said the same. I would have said the same after the Australia tour. I would have said the same after the Champions Trophy. As a coach, I always want results. Whatever match you play for your country, you want to win and hence you are under pressure. I am also under the same kind of pressure.
‘Playing domestic cricket is important’
During this, coach Gambhir praised Karun Nair and said that this will make other players realize the importance of domestic cricket. He said – This is great for domestic cricket. This is great for the future of domestic cricket. All the young players playing domestic cricket will understand its importance. If you keep performing well in domestic cricket, the doors will never close for you. It is good to have the experience of Karun, who has played a bit of county cricket. He has scored runs there and scored a double century for India A.
It is always good to have players who perform well on such tours. Their experience will definitely come in handy and hopefully they will perform well. The most important thing is that we will not judge anyone by one or two Tests. You guys can do this. We will not do this. I think if someone has scored a lot of runs, he will be given a good opportunity at this level too so that he can show his talent here too.
Test team has been announced
The Indian team has been announced for the England tour. Shubman Gill has been chosen as the new Test captain. At the same time, Rishabh Pant is the new vice-captain in Tests. Gill is India’s 37th Test captain. Apart from this, Karun Nair has returned to the Indian team after eight years. Shardul Thakur is also making a comeback in the Indian team. Apart from this, Indian-A team captain Abhimanyu Easwaran has also been given a chance. Sai Sudarshan and Arshdeep Singh are two new faces in the Test team. The Indian team has six main batsmen, two wicketkeeper batsmen, two spin bowling all-rounders, two pace bowling all-rounders and five main fast bowlers and one specialist spinner.
Indian team’s England tour (schedule)
The Indian team will tour England for a five-match Test series. The first Test of this series will be played in Leeds from June 20. At the same time, the second Test will be played in Birmingham from July 2. The third Test will be played at Lord’s from July 10, while the fourth Test will be played in Manchester from July 23. The fifth Test will be played at the Oval in London from July 31. This series will also mark the start of India’s new World Test Championship cycle (2025-27).
Indian team for the five-match series:
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper/vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav.
England squad for first Test:
Ben Stokes (captain), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jack Crowley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
Read More: England Announces Squad for 1st Test Against India- Jamie Overton Returns!
