Gill can lean on Bumrah

Shubman Gill (left) and Jasprit Bumrah

The fact that that a total team-man and a selfless-cricketer named Jasprit Bumrah informed the selectors that since he may not be able to play all Tests because of his back issue, the selectors could zero in at Shubman Gill as the new India captain, made the selection easier. Bumrah will be at hand for Gill to lean on to and will also lead the bowling group as they try and plot the English batters' dismissals.

There's always been a great deal of discussion around the captaincy of the Indian cricket team. For far too long, it was perceived by the powers that be, that speaking good English was a prerequisite to being the Indian captain. It didn't matter if you were cricket savvy and had the team behind you, but if you did not speak good English, there would be a frown on the faces of certain Brown sahibs. Thankfully, that time has passed and it is no longer important what MCC thinks of you, as long as you can rally and lead the troops into battle on the cricket field. It also helped if the captain of the Indian team was media presentable even if he did not always speak Queen's English. Shubman Gill's appointment would delight those brown sahibs as he fulfills every requirement that they felt was needed to be the captain of the Indian cricket team, especially on a tour to old Blighty.

No zonal selection pressure

Thankfully, there was no intrigue about the appointment this time. Fortunately, that time is long gone, where there were pulls and pressures from one zone and the other and the last thing on the minds of these string pullers was what was good for Indian cricket.

Vidharbha's Karun Nair celebrates his half-century during a Ranji Trophy match vs Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium last year. Pic/PTI

The fact that that total team-man and selfless-cricketer named Jasprit Bumrah informed the selectors that since he may not be able to play all Test matches because of his back issue, the selectors could zero in at Gill as the new India captain, made the selection even easier. Make no mistake, Bumrah will be at hand for Gill to lean on to and he will also undoubtedly lead the bowling group as they try and plot the English batters's dismissals.

Team looks balanced

The Indian team looks well balanced, and now with BCCI having enough funds, the selectors's jobs are a bit easier as they can pick 18 instead of the 16 that most other teams choose. So, they have taken six new-ball users plus Nitish Reddy who can bowl lively medium pace. Yes, the tour is a cramped one with five Test matches in six weeks and so there will be need for net bowlers as the Test bowlers would need some rest after the efforts in the back-to-back Test matches. Sadly, this schedule leaves no time for the fringe players or out of form players to get their mojo back. This, of course is not peculiar to India but virtually all the Test playing countries who are going on an overseas tour. The Test team is decided pretty much before the tour even begins and so the fringe players are aware that unless there is an injury, they will have to bide their time and be good reserve players running around fetching bats, gloves, helmets, water and whatever the guys in the middle want. Luckily, the ‘A' team is also going to be around till the start of the first Test match, so there could be plenty of bowling options available for the nets too. The tour game between the ‘A' team and the Test team could be interesting if the ‘A' team quick-bowlers bend their backs and give some short stuff to the batters. That could be good practice, though in the early Test matches, it's going to be the moving ball that could be the main problem for the Indian batters.

It is good to see Karun Nair back in the team. He and Jaydev Unadkat are great examples of perseverance and never-say-die spirit. They have, by dint of sheer performance and the heavy weight of runs and wickets, made a comeback to the Indian team, though of course Unadkat isn't in this team having perhaps narrowly missed out on the selection. Nair, only the second Indian to score a triple century in Test cricket, was in the team that went to England in 2018 but was never given an opportunity. Midway through that tour when there were injury requirements Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari were sent to England. Vihari then made his debut even though Nair was in the squad. Today, there's every chance that Nair could bat at No. 4. Those boots are huge to fill but as Nair himself once asked cricket to give him another chance and now that he has got it and it will be interesting to see what he makes of it. Remember Rohit Sharma was also not in that squad and he went on to captain his country. So, if Nair uses the opportunity well and has luck on his side, he could well script a memorable chapter in Indian cricket history.

Professional Management Group