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Newly-appointed India captain Shubman Gill will lead the side in their upcoming five-match Test assignment against England. It will be the first time that the 25-year-old will be captaining the side in the longest format of the game. The overseas series which is set to commence from June 20, will definitely be a big challenge for the Indian team that will be without the services of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Legendary South Africa cricketer AB de Villers analyzed the newly-selected Indian team during a live broadcast on YouTube and stated that the 'fearless' youngsters will make the team a force to be reckoned with.
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“It’s almost like the Ashes, two powerhouse teams as India visit England. It’s a new-look India team, Shubman Gill leads them, Rishabh Pant as vice-captain. They will be tested there, but these youngsters of India these days are absolutely fearless,” de Villiers said on a YouTube broadcast.
Indian selectors opted for six pacers for the England tour
The former cricketer was especially pleased with India's bowling department that was picked for the England series. The selectors went for a total of six pacers in the squad as the turners generally find it hard to dominate in English conditions.
“The bowling attack I’m very happy with. Bumrah, Siraj, Krishna, Shardul has played well in Tests before and we know he can hold the bat and bowl well. Akash Deep and Arshdeep, it’s a wonderful bowling lineup, and why I put emphasis on that, you need to take your ten wickets in Test match cricket, especially in England where their bowlers know exactly what they’re doing," de Villiers added.
However, de Villiers also had a warning in store for Gill, who will be leading the Men in Blue in the gruelling tour. The South Africa great stated that the five-match series will be a 'marathon' and the team will have to face a lot of challenges.
“Yes, they are young and inexperienced, but I see more than enough talent there to stand up against England. What I’m worried about is that it’s five Test matches, it’s a marathon. You can have a good Test match, but in the back of your mind you know it’s 2-3 months, you can’t just rock up for one Test match. It’s a lot of cricket, a lot of challenges, you have to have sound technique and be relaxed and quiet, but sticking to your guns," de Villiers stated.
Indian team for England Tests: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
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