Rohit, Kohli Dropped: Predicting India’s Top 7 For England Test Tour

Bhargav Dixit∙ Updated: Jan 4 2025, 4:00 AM

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma shouldn't travel to England. [Source: @mufasax45/X]Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma shouldn't travel to England. [Source: @mufasax45/X]

Second overall, it is only for the first time in Indian cricket that the team hasn’t touched the 400-run mark even once in the first innings of a full season of Test cricket. Speaking of historic first innings lows, Indian batters averaging 18.74 is the lowest for any team in a season comprising five or more matches.

Had tough measures been implemented, these numbers, which leave much to be desired, could’ve been avoided. Well, if truth be told, dropping Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is no longer tough. It’s obvious. And the last time I checked, obvious is easy.

For all his skill, it doesn’t seem like Kohli will end his rut in the second innings of the ongoing fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Barring a miracle, he shouldn’t be part of the Test squad for India’s tour of England 2025 regardless of how he bats in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 or Indian Premier League 2025.

In Sharma and Kohli’s absence, let us go through the available options for the Indian selectors:

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Second-highest run-scorer in Tests last year, opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal also occupied the second position in the list of most runs scored by an Indian in the format in a calendar year. Jaiswal, whose average of 53.81 is second on the list of highest average for an Indian Test cricketer (min. 1,000 runs), is an automatic selection for what will be his maiden England tour.

KL Rahul

No longer needed to be a subject of musical chairs to accommodate anyone, KL Rahul’s solidity down under confirms his spot for what is going to be his third Test trip to England. With two out of his eight Test centuries coming there, one expects the 32-year-old player to better his Test average of 34.11 in English conditions to not only lay a solid foundation for the team but also cement his spot at the top of the order.

Shubman Gill

The last time he faced England in a Test series, Shubman Gill silenced all doubters by proving that he belongs to the format. The next time when he’ll face England in a series, Gill needs to silence all doubters by proving that he belongs to the format away from home as well.

An overall Test average of 35.47 after 58 innings and an average of 26 after 23 innings in conditions outside Asia is not what you expect from your “next big thing”. Been invested heavily by Indian cricket, as a whole, it is high time for Gill to show appropriate returns in his seventh year as an international cricketer.

Sarfaraz Khan

While Sarfaraz Khan has had his shares of highs and lows in six Tests thus far, he deserves an uninterrupted longer run in the squad for the sheer number of runs he has scored in domestic cricket. Considering the current team management’s flirtatious nature with batting positions, one hopes for them to not demote a top-order batter to No. 4 in place of Khan.

Rishabh Pant (wk)

Been a permanent member of the Test squad for a while now, Rishabh Pant is also expected to resume his role as a first-choice wicket-keeper batter despite substandard results in Australia.

Nitish Kumar Reddy

Always desperate for fast-bowling all-rounders, India should consider themselves lucky to have found someone in Nitish Kumar Reddy so easily. Reddy, by his own admission, has miles to go as a fourth pace-bowling option. Assuming he improves on that vertical and continues to be the stunning batter that he is, he would end up as quite a coup for Indian cricket.

Ravindra Jadeja

At 36, Ravindra Jadeja will be the senior most Indian cricketer during this English summer. The only player from India’s tour of England 11 years ago, Jadeja’s wisdom will be crucial for several comparatively inexperienced players around him. Having done well with the bat in hand in England lately, the southpaw would be expected to delay the tail’s exposure to English bowlers as long as possible.