Gautam Gambhir to Rejoin Indian Team in Leeds on Tuesday

New Delhi: India head coach Gautam Gambhir is set to rejoin the national team in Leeds on Tuesday ahead of the highly anticipated Test series against England, beginning on Friday.

Gambhir had briefly flown back to New Delhi last week due to a family emergency involving his mother’s health, which required hospitalization. According to sources, Gambhir is scheduled to reach England before the first Test, coinciding with the Indian team’s arrival in Leeds after their Monday rest day.

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Indian Team’s Preparation in Gambhir’s Absence

While Gambhir was away, the Indian team continued preparations under the guidance of batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Morne Morkel, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, and fielding coach T Dilip.

The team was stationed in Beckenham, where they played an intra-squad match featuring the main Test team and India ‘A’ squad, led by Abhimanyu Easwaran and coached by Hrishikesh Kanitkar. The match was held behind closed doors, with regular updates shared on BCCI’s official social media platforms.

VVS Laxman’s Brief Visit Raises Curiosity

During the intra-squad game, former India cricketer and BCCI Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman was also seen with the team. His presence sparked some curiosity, especially since it coincided with Gambhir’s return to India. However, sources confirmed that Laxman’s visit was pre-scheduled as part of his short trip to England following an event in Lausanne, Switzerland, related to the Olympics.

Key Selection Decisions Await Gambhir and Team Management

With Gambhir’s return, the Indian think-tank faces several crucial decisions regarding the playing XI:

• Selection of Jasprit Bumrah’s workload for the series.
• Identifying who will bat at No. 3 and No. 4, with B Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, and Abhimanyu Easwaran in contention.
• Choosing between seam-bowling all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur.
• Deciding the third pace option among Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep alongside Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Historic Opportunity for Team India

Led by captain Shubman Gill, India aims to secure their first Test series victory in England since 2007. This five-match Test series also marks India’s opening assignment in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.