ENG vs IND 2025: Report card for Indian batters after three Tests – Who delivered and who didn’t?
Before India embarked on the tour of England for a five-match Test series, it was speculated that the young India batters would not only struggle but fail miserably in the series. The squad was led by a young Shubman Gill, whose record in away conditions, especially in SENA countries, was simply forgettable. However, three Tests down, the India batters have surprised everyone with their batting heroics, although there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Here’s how the young India batters have fared in the series so far:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, 5/10
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been India’s best batter in the last few Test series, both home and away. He started the England series with a bang, registering a ton in his first maiden Test innings in English soil. He struck 101 in the first innings of the first Test at Leeds. He followed that up with a brilliant 87 in the first innings of the Birmingham Test to help India post a match-winning first-innings total of 587. However, Jaiswal came a cropper in the third Test at Lord’s as England’s Jofra Archer dismissed the India batter in a matter of few balls in both the innings. Nevertheless, Jaiswal has done his bit with the bat so far in the series, and deserves a rating of 5. He aggregated 233 runs at 38.83 strike rate with 1 ton and 1 fifty.
Read More: Where did India go wrong at Lord’s?
KL Rahul, 8/10
KL Rahul has looked the most technically sound batter from either side in this series. He has been extremely confident of his off-stump, leaving the balls with assuredness. He has also been a delight to watch in his strokemaking. He has never looked in a hurry even when wickets have tumbled around him. He has played the role of anchor perfectly as others batted around him. He has got starts of 35 runs or more in five innings out of six, converting it into one fifty and two tons. He scored 137 in the second innings of Leeds Test, 55 in the second innings of Birmingham Test, and 100 in the first innings of Lord’s Test. He has so far scored 375 runs at a strike rate of 62.50 with 2 tons and 1 fifty. Rahul gets a rating of 8.
Read More: Re-appointment of KL Rahul as opener best decision taken by management in turbulent times for India
Karun Nair, 2/10
Karun Nair played in all the three Tests, and was highly disappointing. He got out for a duck in the first innings of the Leeds Test batting at No 6. He started in the Birmingham Test as No 3, but failed to convert it. In the Lord’s Test, he was looking good for his 40 in the first innings before an edge behind was brilliantly pouched by Joe Root. At No 3, Nair failed to do justice to the role in the last two Tests. It could be the last game for Nair in his Test career that began with a triple hundred against England in the Chennai Test in 2016. Nair managed 131 runs at 21.83 in 3 Tests so far. Just for his 40 in the Lord’s Test, Nair gets a rating of 2 out of 10.
Read More: Karun Nair’s Test comeback marred by failure to convert starts
Shubman Gill, 8/10
A lot of debate surrounded handing over the captaincy to Shubman Gill, who has no prior experience of leading a national team, and has under-whelming performance as a batter in SENA countries. But Gill turned it around from his first innings as captain himself, making a brilliant 147 in the Leeds Test. In the second Test at Birmingham, Gill was unstoppable as he played two majestic innings of 269, and 161 in the two innings. It was thanks to Gill’s herculean effort that saw them pile tons of runs, and bowl out England twice even without Jasprit Bumrah. But Gill failed to score when it mattered the most in the Lord’s Test. He was dismissed out cheaply in both the innings, which created pressure among the lower-order batters. Nevertheless, Gill showed another side of his Test batting in the series so far. He has scored 607 runs at 101.16 strike rate with three tons so far in the series. He gets a rating of 8 for his batting heroics so far in the series.
Read More: Shubman Gill’s Test average goes 40+ after his epic 269 at Edgbaston
Rishabh Pant, 8.5/10
Rishabh Pant turned up a new leaf as a Test batter during the series. He made twin tons in the Leeds Test. He followed that up with a 58-ball 65 in the Birmingham Test second innings when India were looking to score quick runs to make a declaration. He made another important knock of 74 in the Lord’s Test that helped India close in on England’s first innings total of 387. But thanks to a needless run-out, Pant’s stay at the crease was cut short. Pant showed good maturity during the series so far, looking to settle in, and then bringing out his big strokes. Also, Pant’s stay at the crease made for great entertainment as the batter scored at a faster pace, and showed urgency to dominate the opposition bowling attack with his counter-attacking game. Pant has scored 425 runs at a strike rate of 70.83 with 2 tons and 2 fifties. He gets the highest rating of 8.5 among India batters in this series.
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