Even as a young Team India gets ready to leave for England for a crucial five-Test match series, this will not be the first time that India is embarking on an overseas series with a relatively young squad. Expectations are high that the bunch, which will be led by the stylish batsman from Punjab, Shubhman Gill, will prove its worth on English soil. Leading a squad is not something new for Gill, who is the captain of Gujarat Titans in the IPL championship. However, he will be overburdened in the absence of the three stalwarts- R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who shouldered the team’s responsibilities with aplomb by coming up with match-winning performances. Though, the number four slot has fallen vacant since Kohli’s retirement, many opine that Gill will be the best bet to take the position. The 25-year-old, who entered the record books as India’s fifth youngest Test captain, has his task cut out. He must lead from the front, especially now when his form has not been to the expectations nor does he have the leadership qualities that were demonstrated by Kohli and Rohit Sharma. There will be heavy reliance on the prowess of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, who incidentally, are grappling with career lows. In fact, Pant, who had a horrific tour Down Under, is yet to strike form if one goes by his dismal showing in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Even Rahul has not done anything exceptional to boost the team morale. A major negative in this team in transition is that the 18-member squad is loaded with all-rounders and most of them have been good only in the game’s short formats. Many will be upstarts in the longer format. A surprise call-up, and one that could tilt the scale during critical junctures, has been that of Karun Nair, who last appeared in a Test match way back in 2017. It is a good augury that the selectors have taken into consideration his prolific exploits in domestic cricket. Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the selection committee, was all praise for Nair’s talent and asserted that the Karnataka player can lend solidity to the Indian middle-order, a trait that he has displayed on umpteen occasions for Team India. Shardul Thakur and debutants Sai Sudarshan and Arshdeep Singh can provide the sparkle that the team needs right from the first Test, slated to begin at Headingley on June 20. Hopes are high that the hugely gifted Yashasvi Jaiswal can propel India’s prospects, especially when he is on song.

Meanwhile, the selectors have taken a big gamble by picking up Jasprit Bumrah and reposing faith in his fast-bowling abilities. Lest one forgets, he has just about recovered from injuries. For all his proven skills, taking him was perhaps nothing but being harsh on other contenders waiting in the shadows. Bumrah’s fitness is a cause for worry. In fact, it is such bizarre extremes that Agarkar himself has indicated that the fast bowler may not play all the five Test matches. Team India is at the crossroads. And delivering the goods on English soil will be a daunting task, especially given its climatic conditions, something which not many in the ranks have played under. In Gautam Gambhir they have a coach, who has been there and done that. His pep talks can motivate the players to go for the kill. On a most optimistic note, one can hope that the young brigade can display great adaptability and script a glorious chapter in Indian cricket as nowhere in the reckoning Kapil’s Devils did in 1983.