Leeds [UK], June 19: As India prepares for their high-profile Test series against England, newly appointed Test captain Shubman Gill underlined the critical role bowlers will play in securing victories. The five-match series kicks off on Friday at Headingley in Leeds.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Gill stressed that while scoring runs is crucial, it is taking 20 wickets that ultimately decides the outcome in red-ball cricket.
“Yes, definitely in Test matches, if you want to win a Test match, you can’t win it without taking 20 wickets, no matter how many runs you score,” Gill said. “That has been one of our key discussion points—how we will take those 20 wickets.”
The Indian team management is weighing a balanced team composition, possibly featuring six specialist batters, a bowling all-rounder, and a pace-heavy attack.
“There might be a case where we go with six pure batters, and you will see a bowling all-rounder and three-four premier fast bowlers,” he added.
Gill also addressed the pitch and weather conditions in England, which have reportedly been drier than usual this summer. He noted that the final playing XI would be decided after one last assessment of the surface.
“This summer has been a little bit different to the other English summers. It’s been a little bit dry, so I was just waiting to see the wicket one last time to decide the final combinations,” Gill explained.
The five-match series marks India’s first Test campaign without stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who both retired from the format earlier this year. Shubman Gill, stepping in as India’s youngest Test captain in recent times, now shoulders the responsibility of leading a young team toward World Test Championship glory.
India Squad for England Test Series:
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.
England Playing XI for 1st Test vs India:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
The India tour of England runs from June 20 to August 4, with matches scheduled at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord’s (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London).