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After a disappointing performance in Australia losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25the Indian team’s next big challenge in the longest format of the game will be a tour England in June where India will play a 5-match Test series starting at Leeds and ending at The Oval to win the coveted Pataudi Trophy.
A chance to get back to India’s winning ways
The Indian team will be keen to gain some momentum and a winning streak in Test cricket considering the fact that the team has not been able to win silverware in Test cricket recently. India will arrive in England on the back of a crushing defeat at home new zealand and a disappointing end to the decade of dominance as they lost the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
Not only that, with their back-to-back series defeats, the Indian team failed to reach the final of the Trials World Championship which will be celebrated in June this year in the house of the Lord. Instead, the Indian team gave way Australia to advance to the final and defend the test club against south africa. So there is a lot at stake in the England tour as far as India’s future in Test cricket is concerned. Keeping in mind the need to make significant changes in the squad, here are 5 players who should not be part of the Indian squad for the upcoming England tour.
Read also: Top 5 follow-on totals in Test defeats to Pakistan
5 players who should be left out of the Indian squad for the Pataudi Trophy
1. Rohit Sharma
The Indian skipper had a terrible season both with the bat and as captain. Not only has Rohit reached the peak of his skill in Test cricket, the 37-year-old can’t even keep up with the ever-changing dynamics of the game. Rohit’s consistency with the bat and his decisions as Indian skipper have been seriously questioned. Rohit 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 at a paltry average of 24.76. An insight into Rohit’s sorry state of affairs with the bat is evident from the fact that the hitman of Indian cricket scored his last Test century in March this year against England in Dharamsala. So now the time has come for Rohit to focus on white-ball cricket and keep the prospect of leading the Test side.
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 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But even he has lost the familiar touch he once had. Pace bowling has been a nightmare for the 36-year-old. During the tour of Australia, Kohli repeatedly fell into the trap of playing cover with off-stump balls and giving away his wicket in the process. Although his form has been steadily declining, Kohli hit a new career low 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 some serious introspection about his role in the team. Pitches in England generally favor seam movement, especially during the early days of the match. Also, the ball tends to swing all day in English wickets, unlike in Australia. Jadeja can be a viable alternative for the team, but the English conditions require an additional pace alternative to rest the main players. India may opt to pick an extra pacer instead of Jadeja and go for a more traditional bowler as of now Washington Sundar or Kuldeep Yadav and having more depth in the team in terms of the bowling department. In addition, Nitish Kumar Reddy he has proved his worth as an all-rounder in the Indian team and the youngster is likely to bat at No.6 as creditably 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 the bowling that he had is no longer there. Leaving aside some promising looks like Australia’s opening innings in the Sydney Test, Siraj has failed to wreak havoc in the batsmen’s hearts like he used to. Consistency is key in English conditions and Siraj’s lack of same could be a liability for the squad if he is selected. Although Siraj took 26 wickets in the previous season, the Indian pacer couldn’t trouble the batsmen consistently. This is evident from his performance in Australia. Despite taking 4 wickets in Australia’s first innings in Adelaide, Siraj could never achieve the same tally 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 times and could therefore be left out of the England squad if jasprit bumrah i Mohammed Shami regain his physical form at that time.
5. Shubman Gill
Young exclusion from the workforce is never easy. However, Gill has given the selectors no reason not to let him go on the England tour. Especially in overseas conditions, his form has been terrible for a while now. Gill has scored a total of 401 runs in the 2024-25 season at a batting average of 33.41, a sharp drop from his record of the previous season when he scored 526 runs at an average of 43.83. Hence, the youngster needs to re-work the basics and develop Test level temperament to become a consistent No. 3 for the Test cricket team.
