Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir said on Thursday that no final decision has been made yet on who will fill the crucial No. 4 batting position for India, nor on which three Test matches pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah will feature in during the upcoming series against England.
Gambhir and newly appointed captain Shubman Gill spoke at a press conference ahead of the team’s departure to England. “It’s always difficult to replace someone like Jasprit Bumrah. But we have enough quality. I have said this before, including during the Champions Trophy, that when he is not there, it’s an opportunity for someone else to step up,” Gambhir said.
After announcing the Indian squad for the England Test series, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector Ajit Agarkar provided an update on Bumrah’s availability. He confirmed that Bumrah will be leading the bowling attack on English soil, supported by fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Shardul Thakur.
Bumrah’s participation in all five Tests has been under question, especially after he stepped aside from the race for Test captaincy citing workload concerns.
“We haven’t taken a call on which three games he will play. We will discuss with him and then decide depending on how the Test series goes. The result of the series is very important, and he knows that. We will take the call after we get there,” he added.
Replacing Virat Kohli at No. 4 in India’s Test batting line-up is arguably the biggest challenge since Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement. Kohli leaves behind a formidable legacy-9230 Test runs, 30 Test hundreds, and over a decade of unmatched consistency. However, India’s new Test captain, Shubman Gill, did not reveal any hints about the batting order for the first Test in Leeds on June 20, explaining that the team will undergo a 10-day camp in London where final decisions on the lineup will be made.
“We haven’t really decided on the combination. We still have a little bit of time. We are playing the intra-squad match and a 10-day camp in England. We will decide the squad when we go there,” Shubman Gill said when asked about India’s batting order in England.