With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R. Ashwin stepping away from Test cricket, India’s transition to a new era was inevitable. But when I look at the squad announced for the England tour, I see more than just a generational shift; it signals a philosophical one. In place of seasoned accumulators and battle-hardened tacticians, this new-look Test side is built around flair, aggression, and youthful exuberance. But is that enough to conquer England in a grueling five-match Test series?

The Squad: Talent-Rich, Experience-Light

Led by Shubman Gill, with Rishabh Pant as vice-captain and wicketkeeper, the squad features a mix of IPL-proven performers and fringe domestic talents: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Reddy, and Karun Nair return to the red-ball fold. The bowling unit is strong, with Bumrah, Siraj, Kuldeep, and Jadeja, but my concern lies firmly with the batting.

India has always relied on its Test anchors, Dravid, Pujara, Kohli, and Rahane, who could absorb pressure and bat time. This squad, by contrast, has no clear successor to that role. It is filled with stroke-makers and flashy starters, but not a single name screams “grinder,” the kind needed to face 90-over days under grey skies with the Duke ball nipping around.

English Conditions Demand Application

The recent performances of England’s top order, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, and Ben Duckett, highlight how English batsmen are finally learning to blend Bazball aggression with classical Test match temperament. Add Joe Root’s imperious consistency, Brook’s natural flair, and Ben Stokes’ match awareness, and you have a batting unit that knows how to bat big and long.

India’s response? Players who thrive on tempo, not tenacity. Shubman Gill’s class is undisputed, but his temperament against the moving ball over extended periods is yet to be tested consistently in England. Jaiswal is aggressive but unproven away from subcontinental comforts. KL Rahul’s return is a stabilizer, but his injury-prone career adds uncertainty. Rishabh Pant’s presence is exciting, but his success in England has been sporadic.

None of Sai Sudharsan, Easwaran, or Karun Nair are established Test batsman. Their domestic records are solid, but there’s a chasm between domestic first-class cricket and surviving seaming English conditions.

The Lack of an Anchor

What this squad truly lacks, in my view, is someone in the mold of a Cheteshwar Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane, someone who can bat 200 balls for 60 runs and tire out a bowling attack. In England, flamboyance without judgment is a liability. This squad might win sessions, even steal a Test, but without someone to soak up pressure when collapses loom, as they inevitably do in English conditions, it’s hard for me to see this side holding firm over five matches.

Bowlers Can Compete, But Will They Be Supported?

India’s bowling attack does possess the tools to challenge England. Mohammed Siraj is a proven performer overseas, Kuldeep Yadav brings wrist-spin variety that can be a game-changer on days four and five, and Ravindra Jadeja offers control, consistency, and depth with the bat. But the biggest weapon, Jasprit Bumrah, is reportedly unavailable for the entire series, which is a major blow to India’s hopes. Even if the bowlers punch above their weight, there’s only so much they can do without scoreboard pressure. Without runs, no attack, however talented, can hold off a relentless English batting lineup.

England, meanwhile, has built a pace attack that is sharp, versatile, and hungry in the post-Anderson era. Mark Wood can touch 150 kph. Ollie Robinson, if fit, can bowl 25 overs on the trot with unerring accuracy. Chris Woakes, a master of home conditions, is lethal at Lord’s or Edgbaston. And now the new wave - Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, and Brydon Carse - brings energy and depth. All of them move the ball, hit the deck, and understand their roles, giving England plenty of pace depth to rotate across a long series.

Risky Bet in the Ultimate Format

This squad reflects India’s changing cricketing identity - more aggressive, youthful, and fearless. But Test cricket, especially a long series in England, isn’t won with attitude alone. It demands grit, endurance, and mental clarity - qualities that I see glaringly underrepresented in this batting lineup. A few innings of brilliance may come, but without consistency and composure, the dream of a series win in England may remain just that, a dream.

India’s selectors may be building for the future, but in doing so, I believe they may have sacrificed the present. Without a serious rethinking of balance and temperament, this squad risks becoming a cautionary tale in transition.

Structural Gaps in Domestic Pathways

The real issue, to me, is structural. India’s domestic calendar, especially in recent years, hasn’t prioritized grinding four-day cricket for long enough. The IPL dominates the spotlight, and while talent flourishes in white-ball formats, red-ball specialists don’t get the same visibility, exposure, or nurturing. Even the ‘India A’ tours, once a reliable bridge, have been sporadic.

In essence, the selectors are making the best out of a transition period where the long-format backbone has eroded and the replacements haven’t had time or structure to properly mature.

A Transitional Reality

So, while it’s valid to critique the lack of temperament in the current batting line-up, I find it unfair to lay the blame squarely on the selectors. This is a generational shift, where the old guards have stepped down, but the new soldiers haven’t yet learned how to fight five-day wars in swinging English conditions. Until the domestic system starts prioritizing red-ball development again, India will continue to rely on short bursts of brilliance rather than old-school resilience.

Yash Rathod of Vidarbha was the standout performer in the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy season, amassing 1,096 runs in 10 matches at an average of 54.80, with five centuries and four fifties. Right behind him were his teammates: Karun Nair with 990 runs in 9 matches and Akshay Wadkar with 975 runs in 10 games, both pillars of Vidarbha’s title-winning campaign. Rathod’s consistency, especially in the knockout stages, was nothing short of heroic.

And yet, how many Indian fans even noticed? In a country where red-ball toil barely makes the headlines, Rathod’s season was quietly tucked away from the limelight. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, who had a poor IPL as both captain and batsman, suddenly changed the narrative with one breezy century in a dead rubber. That one innings grabbed more national attention and perhaps influence than Rathod’s entire Ranji campaign.

This isn’t just about selection; it’s a reflection of how India’s cricketing consciousness is skewed. Grind all you want in first-class cricket, but in a system increasingly governed by optics and T20 afterglow, the spotlight rarely shines where the real hard yards are done.

A Hope Wrapped in Uncertainty

Yes, on paper, this Indian squad looks vulnerable. The absence of seasoned grinders, an over-reliance on flair, and a bowling unit that may not be at full strength throughout the series — it all points to a potential hammering from England, especially in their own backyard where Bazball thrives and their top six are in red-hot form.

But then again, cricket, especially Test cricket, is not played on paper. It’s played in phases, in bursts of brilliance, in silent sessions of defiance, and in moments when young cricketers, written off before the toss, choose to stand up and fight.

Maybe someone we’re underestimating, a Sudharsan, a Jurel, or even an Abhimanyu Easwaran, will decide that this is their moment to write themselves into history. Maybe Rishabh Pant, unpredictable as ever, finds his rhythm and turns chaos into control. Maybe Siraj or Kuldeep runs through England on a grey morning in Leeds.

The point is, I don’t know yet. I fear a hammering, yes. But I also hold space for a surprise. Because that’s what keeps cricket alive in us: not just results, but the chance, however slim, that something special might still happen.