Workout
Meditation
Contact Us
After a disappointing performance in Australia losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25The next big challenge for the Indian team in the longest format of the game will be a tour to England in June where India will 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 hope to gain some momentum and a winning streak in Test cricket considering the fact that the team has failed to win trophies in Test cricket recently. India will arrive in England after a crushing defeat at home against New Zealand and a disappointing end to a decade of dominance as they lost the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
Not only that, with their consecutive losses in the series, the Indian team failed to reach the final of the World Test Championship which will be held in June this year at Lord’s. Instead, the Indian team gave way to Australia go to the final and defend the test mace against South Africa. Therefore, there is a lot at stake on the tour to England when it comes to India’s future in Test cricket. Keeping the need to make significant changes to the team in perspective, here are 5 players who should not be part of the Indian team for the upcoming tour to England.
Also Read: Top 5 follow-up totals in Test losses with Pakistan
5 players who should be excluded from the Indian team for the Pataudi Trophy
1. Rohit Sharma
The Indian captain had a dismal season both with the bat and as captain. Not only has Rohit reached the peak of his prowess in Test cricket, but 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 captain have come under serious doubt. Rohit had a disappointing season with the bat in Test cricket. Indian captain Rohit has played a total of 14 Test matches this season and scored 619 runs at a meager average of 24.76. An indication of Rohit’s sorry state of affairs from the bat comes from the fact that the Indian cricket hitman scored his last Test century in March this year against England in Dharamsala. Therefore, the time has come for Rohit to concentrate on white-ball cricket and put aside the prospect of leading in Tests.
2. Virat Kohli
The only difference between Rohit and Kohli’s situation is that the former Indian captain has shown some flashes of promise with the bat during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. But even he has lost the family 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 a cover drive with outside balls outside off stump and giving away his wicket in the process. Although his form has been steadily declining, Kohli reached a new career low in 2024 with just one century in 19 innings. Kohli needs to improve 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 much of a disappointment as Rohit and Kohli, but it’s time for some serious introspection on his role in the team. Pitches in England generally favor seam movement, particularly during the early days of the match. Additionally, the ball tends to swing all day on English pitches, unlike in Australia. Jadeja can be a viable alternative for the team, but English conditions require an additional pace alternative to rest the main players. India may choose to pick an additional pacer instead of Jadeja and opt for a more traditional bowler like Washington Sundar either Kuldeep Yadav and have additional depth in the team when it comes to the bowling department. Besides, Nitish Kumar Reddy He has proven himself as an all-rounder in the Indian team and the youngster is likely to bat at number 6 as creditably as he did at number 7 in Australia.
4. Mohammed Siraj
To summarize Siraj’s tour of Australia; The intensity is there, but the bowling acuity he once had is no longer there. Aside from some promising glimpses like Australia’s first innings in the Sydney Test, Siraj has failed to wreak havoc on the hearts of batsmen like he used to do earlier. Consistency is the key in English conditions and the lack of the same on Siraj’s part could be a problem for the team if he is selected. Although Siraj took 26 wickets in the previous season, the Indian pacer could not trouble the batsmen consistently. This is clear from his performance in Australia. While he took 4 wickets in the first Australian innings in Adelaide, Siraj could never reach the same level 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 big moments and could therefore be excluded from the England squad if jasprit bumrah and Mohamed Shami regain his physical form at that time.
5. Shubman Gill
Excluding young people from the squad is never easy. However, Gill has not given any reason to the selectors not to leave him out of the England tour. Their form has been terrible for some time, especially abroad. Gill scored a total of 401 runs in the 2024-25 season at a batting average of 33.41, a marked drop from his record from the previous season in which he scored 526 runs at an average of 43.83. Therefore, the youngster needs to rework the basics and develop a Test-level temperament to become a consistent No. 3 for the team in Test cricket.
