June 11, 2025 - Team India is worried after the practice match between India A and the England Lions before the Test series starting on June 20. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Reddy, and Shardul Thakur did not perform as expected, and this is causing concerns for captain Shubman Gill and the team management.
Yashasvi’s Poor Show
In Test cricket, the opening batsman plays a very important role. The team expected a strong start from Yashasvi in England, but he failed to play a big innings in the practice matches. In the first innings of the first match, Yashasvi scored only 24 runs. He showed some form in the second innings by scoring 64 runs. However, in the second match, he failed again, scoring just 5 runs in the first innings and 17 in the second. He struggled against England’s fast bowlers and could not find his rhythm.
Nitish's Struggles
Middle-order batsman Nitish also looked out of form. In the first innings of the first match, he scored only 7 runs, but improved with 52 runs in the second innings. In the first innings of the second match, he scored 34 runs and 42 in the second innings. However, he did not do anything special with the ball. His strike rate and footwork looked weak. He often missed swinging balls and lost his wicket under pressure. It is clear that Nitish will need to work harder to prove himself in England’s conditions.
Shardul's Weak Bowling
All-rounder Shardul also failed to impress with the ball. Though he took 2 wickets in the first match, he gave away 105 runs. He did not take any wickets in the second match, and England’s batsmen scored easily against him. His bowling showed no sharpness, raising doubts about his place in Team India’s bowling attack.
New Challenges for Gill
The poor performance of these three players has made team selection harder for the captain and the management. Choosing the right opening pair and bowling attack for the Test series against England is now more challenging.
Tough Challenge Against England
The practice match results show that facing England’s bowlers will not be easy. The team management and selectors will have to work hard to fix the players’ weaknesses so that Team India can perform strongly in the Test series starting June 20.
India’s 18-Member Squad for England Tour
Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain/wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Karun Nair, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
India vs England Test Series Schedule
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