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India head coach Gautam Gambhir has flown back to New Delhi from England due to a family emergency, just before the team’s intra-squad match against India A in Kent.
India are currently in the United Kingdom, gearing up for a crucial five-match Test series against England, set to begin on June 20 at Headingley.
The series will also mark the start of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and the beginning of Shubman Gill’s tenure as India’s Test captain.
In Gambhir’s absence, assistant coaches Sitanshu Kotak and Ryan ten Doeschate will oversee preparations alongside bowling coach Morne Morkel. Meanwhile, Hrishikesh Kanitkar continues to head the India A setup.
Gambhir’s absence comes at a decisive moment, especially as the team management was expected to finalise the batting lineup in the lead-up to the first Test.
With the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two key spots in the batting order are up for grabs. B Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair are currently in contention to fill those shoes.
After replacing Rahul Dravid as head coach post the T20 World Cup last year, Gautam Gambhir has faced a mixed start to his tenure, enduring Test series defeats against New Zealand and Australia before bouncing back to lead India to glory at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
As for the playing XI, one of the pressing questions revolves around the seam-bowling allrounder role.
Shardul Thakur and Nitish Reddy are the frontrunners, with Reddy taking two wickets in 26.5 overs and Thakur bagging two across 43 overs during the first-class fixtures against Lions.
India’s pace unit also remains a topic of debate, with Jasprit Bumrah a certainty and two of Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna expected to partner him in the series opener.
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