Gautam Gambhir has been said a lot, and what is needed to lead the next generation of the Indian test team as a result of older statwarts, such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, who resigned.
These names undoubtedly improved its place in the history of Indian cricket-and further. But as one era is coming to an end, another inevitably begins. It has always been a natural rhythm of sport that was as turbulent as a test cricket.
Larger challenges in 2025
In 2021-22, throw your mind back on the Indian tour of England. The team represented Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadej – all seasoned veterans. Yet, despite this firing power – AS England is not yet in their basball era – the series has ended with 2-2 draws. Victory in England is never easy, but the fact that the current team of India, led by Shaubman Gill with Gautam Gambhir in the coaching seat, is in a position to replicate his best result to the five match series on English soil.
Like the 2021 tour – when the Covid -199 break disrupted Indian dynamics in referees – this team also had a real chance of winning Leeds and Lord’s in 2025, just to let them slip. This performed even more important on the oval and offered the last shot to match their best performance. But that’s more than just a series of series. It is a test of a litm for a young team and a new regime – the one that showed flashes of maturity, but still looking for its first real breakthrough with a red ball.
Will the Indian exhausted pace of attack?
While the narration around the oval test is focused on Indian pressure on the completion of strong and growing concerns appear over the pace attack. The availability of Jasprit Bumhrah remains uncertain. Mohammed Siraj was inconsistent. Akash Deep, which impressed early, missed the previous match due to injury. Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna and Anshul Kartij tried to influence.
This raises the key question: Will India risk throwing in Arshdeep Singh? It brings diversity and swing, but at this level it remains untested in English – a step that could easily leave. However, if the Bumrah is excluded, the possibilities are thin. India may be forced to lean on experience and hope that Siraj will re -discover his rhythm, as in Edgbaston earlier.
This is where the cricket instinct Gautama Gambhira gets under the reflector. Choosing a team, tactical clarity and reading conditions accurately – all of this comes into play when India is looking for the right balance at a key intersection.
Defining a test for Gambhir
For Gautam Gambhira, the bets could not be higher. His possession as an Indian coach of the red ball had a rocky start – a surprising loss of the home series in New Zealand, followed by a defeat in Australia. Both results raised questions about its adaptability to the test cricket requirements.
In the white ball formats, however, Gambhir prospered. He led India to Trophy Masters 2025 – their first main title ODI since 2013 – and boasts a flawless T20is record that has not lost the series yet.
But a test cricket is another animal. And this series is still formed as its most critical examination. India has never won a series of five tests in England. The victory in the oval would not only equal the series, but also sent a clear message: that Gambhir is the right man who the grazing of the Indian test cricket in his next chapter.
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Published:
Amar Pancker
Published on:
31 July 2025
