Jasprit Bumrah fired up against Shubman Gill; Gautam Gambhir instructs newcomer; Rishabh Pant sledges Mohammed Siraj

The Indian cricket team has hit the ground running in preparation for the five-match Test series against England, which gets underway on June 20. India have not won a Test series in England since 2007, when Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman were still the mainstays of Indian batting. India has since toured England four times but never returned victorious, losing 0-4 in 2011, 1-3 in 2014, 1-4 in 2018 and drawing 2-2 in 2021/22. India's Jasprit Bumrah during a practice session ahead of the England Tests(BCCI)

This time in particular, the job at hand is tough, especially now that Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin have retired from Test cricket. India have assembled a promising bunch of 18 players – the best they have – to script history, who landed in the United Kingdom more than 24 hours ago. The squad features a couple of fresh faces in Arshdeep Singh and Sai Sudharsan, while also boasting experience in the form of KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.

Veteran sports journalist Vimal Kumar, on his YouTube channel, provided some interesting insights. On a cold, windy morning at the Kent County Ground in Beckenham, where India had their first of many practice sessions, the intentions were laid bare. For three hours, the players were at it, training full throttle, during which head coach Gautam Gambhir remained the most proactive individual of them all. He had discussions with all members but spent most of his time with youngsters. Gambhir took guard behind the nets and kept a close tab on Rishabh Pant and newcomer Sai Sudharsan. In fact, Gambhir was constantly in Sudharsan's ears ahead of a much-anticipated debut. Coming off a memorable IPL, where the left-handed youngster won the Orange Cap, Sudharsan is tough to keep out. But the question lies: If he plays, where does he bat?

Pant and Siraj's sledging

In another fascinating battle, Mohammed Siraj and Rishabh Pant had a go at each other with some proper sledging. The India pacer bowled full steam, but did not faze Pant, who, two weeks ago, scored his first century since returning to international cricket. In Lucknow Super Giants' final IPL game of the season, Pant sizzled with an unbeaten 118, although the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who eventually won the IPL, chased it down with 6 wickets left. Expectations are high from Pant, who did not have the greatest of outings in Australia last year, to produce a repeat of his heroics from the 2020-21 tour Down Under.

Same from Siraj. The India speedster looked tired in Australia, which led to him getting dropped from India's Champions Trophy squad. However, with a decent showing in the IPL behind him, Siraj would have been told he needs to step up and deliver, especially since there's no Mohammed Shami and because Jasprit Bumrah won't be playing all five Tests. Prasidh Krishna has barely looked convincing in the three Tests he has played for India, while Arshdeep is yet to earn his cap.

Bumrah vs Gill

Speaking of Bumrah, perhaps the most riveting battle was between the Indian pace spearhead and the newly-crowned Test captain Shubman Gill. The 25-year-old is embarking on what promises to be his toughest test yet. As well-documented, Gill's track record outside India isn't the greatest, with just 649 runs from 13 Tests, and when it's down to SENA nations, it's even worse. The England pace attack may not be at its peak – no James Anderson, Stuart Broad, whereas Chris Woakes is just coming off a long injury layoff – but it does have potential. Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Craig Overton are highly talked about, and hence, to help Gill be at his best, Bumrah had to be at his. Bumrah bowled a long spell to everyone, but it was against Gill that upped his class a notch. The fiery pace, the plays and misses, the movement – it was as if Bumrah was bowling in a World Cup final.

And why not? He picked 32 wickets in the five Tests against Australia. And with the ball darting around in the swinging conditions of England, he should – actually, scratch that – would be India's best weapon.

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