ENG vs IND 2025: Questionable XI selection continues in Gambhir-Gill era as India pick three pacers on the Oval green top.
On the eve of the fifth Test of the five-match series against England at Kennington Oval, several speculations were made on India’s potential playing XI. However, none of them were around Karun Nair, making a comeback into the side at number five. The majority thought that the visitors would either opt for Shardul Thakur or pick Kuldeep Yadav as the fourth bowling option. But that wasn’t the case at all.
The trend of the series from the visitors has been purely defensive. From the very first game at Leeds to the final game of the summer at Oval, India kept going on with a batting-heavy side. It has backfired on many occasions. It’s just that they had been fortunate not to lose the series by now.
It’s the opposite trend of what Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli set to achieve success in the longest format. They always believed in picking five bowlers, irrespective of the conditions. But that hasn’t been the case under coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill.
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India’s defensive planning takes them away from Test success in Gambhir-Gill era
The defensive mindset tells to have batting till eight on any surface, and that is exactly what this current management has done. On a green surface, they decided to pick an extra batter in Karun Nair at number five to save the batting collapses. However, there is no guarantee of the side crossing the 500-run mark on every single occasion with the bat.
Instead, if they had gone with an extra bowler, it would have helped them pick 20 wickets. It was more important at the Oval given they didn’t have Jasprit Bumrah, their premier pacer, for the decider. Mohammed Siraj looked dead on his feet in the previous fixture at Manchester, while Akash Deep has made a comeback from injury.
India’s third and last seamer in the eleven is Prasidh Krishna, who was dropped after poor performances in the first couple of affairs. The Karnataka-born struggled with his line and length to pick six wickets in four innings. He has an average of 55.17 and an economy rate of over five so far, which never helped the tourists to put constant pressure.
Arshdeep Singh should have made his debut in this contest. The left-arm pacer could have used the new ball on this surface to move in both ways. In addition, the home side hadn’t faced the bowler before, which is always an added challenge in batting. It’s worth remembering that both Gill and Gambhir confirmed that they had all of their bowlers fit for selection. That suggests they have ignored the Punjab pacer in selection.
The management could have gone with Kuldeep Yadav even on a green surface. Sometimes, it becomes a smart tactic to see what makes it hard for the opponents to face. Undoubtedly, England find wrist spin hard to tackle. Kuldeep’s 19 wickets at 20.16 during the previous series between the two sides is a strong proof of that.
Many reckoned that the decision for India not to pick the third spinner was due to the green surface. But a Test match is played over five days. With sunshine expected on the second and third day, it will suit the spinners deep into the encounter.
Moreover, it’s a myth that wrist spinners don’t do well on green surfaces. The late great Shane Warne used to get assistance off the green deck at the Gabba in Brisbane. The pace and grip of the 22-yard with grass and moisture around help them to go for the variations.
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Should BCCI look beyond Gautam Gambhir as Test head coach?
Apart from the selection of this game, Gambhir and Gill haven’t had their strongest playing eleven in any of the last four games. At Old Trafford, they handed the debut cap to Anshul Kamboj, whose 120-125 kmph deliveries hardly troubled the home batters. With the uneven bounce, it would have been a nightmare for England to face Kuldeep.
At Edgbaston, the two-time WTC runners-up were lucky with the 336-run victory. Had Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep not contributed with the wickets on a dry surface, it could have been one of the worst team selections in recent times.
It was the same case even when they tripped Australia in the last winter. Gambhir is the senior coach of the young captain, and that puts incredible responsibility on his shoulders to get the right balance of the side. Under his coaching, they got a few memorable victories, including Perth and Edgbaston. But they had experienced two successive series defeats, one of them including a home whitewash for the very first time.
Irrespective of the future in South London this week, questions will be raised on the Delhi-born and his planning. If they face a defeat at the Oval, then three successive series in the longest format may not strengthen his CV. BCCI should start looking for other options in this department before India’s next Test assignment in October.
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