India's Test selection dilemma: Under-fire Rishabh Pant and lack of experienced spinners
A year ago, a young Shubman Gill-led Indian side punched above their weight to draw 2-2 with England in England. But if anything, it will be the upcoming series against Sri Lanka that tests their mettle and mindset the most, and it seems overwhelmingly likely…
A year ago, a young Shubman Gill-led Indian side punched above their weight to draw 2-2 with England in England. But if anything, it will be the upcoming series against Sri Lanka that tests their mettle and mindset the most, and it seems overwhelmingly.
Rishabh Pant failed to get going in the warm-up match against SLC XI. (HT_PRINT)Four names, at least, pick themselves at the top of the batting order.
What Happened
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul will open the innings, Devdutt Padikkal will bat at No. Padikkal is most likely to replace the injured Sai Sudharshan (Sarfraz Khan’s late inclusion is cover, nothing more), and an unbeaten 142 in the three-day warm-up game.
He was coming off a stunning 2025 tour of England, where he scored 479 runs at 68.42, including twin hundreds — 134 and 118 — at Headingley.
The spotlight will be as much on the match performances as on the selection calls.
Any hope of reaching the World Test Championship Final will rest on a clean sweep of Sri Lanka.
Key Details
After that, though, is where it gets complicated. The middle and lower orders lack specialist batters and wicket-taking bowlers.
He would thus be a reassuring tail-ender, much like Siraj, who can attack (as in the warm-up match) and defend (as in England last year) with the bat reliably.
He can bat too; in the warm-up game, he hit 36 off 18 balls.
Like Jurel, he played in India A’s unofficial Test v Sri Lanka A last month in Galle — and like Jurel, he performed fabulously, taking a 10-wicket match haul and using his height to.
Why It Matters
Solving those two in tandem is crucial, and caught in between this Scylla and Charybdis are the two wicket-keepers, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel. A year ago, Pant’s starting spot was never in doubt.
Prasidh is the more experienced, but form is on Gurnoor’s side.
Should India decide on both Pant and Jurel, and also go with three spinners, then the toss-up will be between Prasidh Krishna and the uncapped Gurnoor Brar.
What Reports Say
Coverage of the story so far points to:
Continued reporting by Hindustan Times as more details emerge
