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After a disappointing performance in Australia lost to Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25the next big challenge for the Indian team in the highest format of the game is the tour of England in June where India is scheduled to play a 5-match Test series starting in Leeds and ending at The Oval to win the coveted Pataudi Trophy.
A chance to get back to winning ways for India
The Indian team will be eager to gain momentum and back-to-back wins in Test cricket due to the fact that the team has not won any silverware in Test cricket recently. India come to England on the backdrop of a crushing defeat at home against New Zealand and a disappointing end to a decade of dominance as they lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia.
Not only that, in their series defeat, the Indian team failed to reach the finals of World Test Championship scheduled to be held in June of this Lord’s year. The Indian team instead gave way to australian to proceed to the finals and defend the Test mace against South Africa. So much is at stake in the England tour as far as India’s future in Test cricket is concerned. Keeping in view the need to make significant changes in the squad, here are 5 players who should not be part of India’s squad for the upcoming tour of England.
Also read: Top 5 highest follow-on total in Test pildi ft. Pakistan
5 players who should be included in Indian squad for Pataudi Trophy
1. Rohit Sharma
The Indian skipper had a terrific season with the bat and as a captain. Not only has Rohit reached the peak of his skill in Test cricket but the 37-year-old cannot even keep up with the changing dynamics of the game. Rohit’s consistency with the bat and his decisions as India’s captain both come under serious questions. Rohit has had a disappointing season with the bat in Test cricket. Indian skipper Rohit has played a total of 14 Test matches this season and has scored 619 runs with a meager average of 24.76. A glimpse of the sorry state of affairs for Rohit off the bat can be seen from the fact that the Hitman of Indian cricket scored his last Test century back in March this year against England in Dharamsala. So, the time has come for Rohit to focus on white ball cricket and discard the hope of leading the Test.
2. Virat Kohli
The only difference between Rohit and Kohli’s situation is that the former Indian captain has shown some glimpses of promise with the bat during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. However, even he had lost his familiar touch before. Pace bowling is a dream for the 36-year-old. During the Australia tour, Kohli repeatedly fell into the trap of playing a cover drive on outside off balls and gave away his wicket in the process. Although his form has been on a steady decline, Kohli hit a new low in his career in 2024 with just one century in 19 innings. Kohli needs to work on his skills 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 is time for a serious review of his role in the team. England’s pitches often favor seam movement, especially in the early days of the game. Also, the ball tends to swing all day on English wickets unlike Australia. Jadeja could come in as a viable spin alternative for the team but the English conditions require an additional pace alternative to rest the top bowlers. India may opt to pick more pacer instead of Jadeja and go for a more traditional spinner bowler like Washington Sundar or Kuldeep Yadav and there is more depth in the team as far as the bowling department is concerned. In addition, Nitish Kumar Reddy proved his worth as an all-rounder in the Indian team and it is likely that the youngster will rock at No.6 like he did at No.7 in Australia.
4. Mohammed Siraj
To sum up Siraj’s Australian tour; the intensity is there, but the sharpness of his bowling is gone. Putting in some good looks in Australia’s first innings in the Sydney Test, Siraj failed to break the hearts of the batters like before. Consistency is key in English conditions and Siraj’s lack of the same will be a liability in the squad if he is selected. Although Siraj took 26 wickets last season, but the Indian pacer could not trouble the batters consistently. This can be seen in his performance in Australia. While he took 4 wickets in Australia’s first innings in Adelaide, Siraj 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 in the resulting moments and therefore may not be included in the squad for England when Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will regain their strength at that time.
5. Shubman Gill
Excluding a youngster from the squad is never easy. However, Gill failed to give any reasons to the selectors for not dropping him for the England tour. Especially in overseas conditions, his form has been terrible for a long time. Gill scored a total of 401 runs in the 2024-25 season with a batting average of 33.41, a significant drop from his record of the previous season where he scored 526 runs with an average of 43.83. So the youngster needs to work on the fundamentals again and develop Test level temperament to become a consistent No.3 for the team in Test cricket.
