Is Gambhir Set to Rejoin the Indian Team in Leeds?

New Delhi, June 16 (NationPress) Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, is poised to reunite with the touring squad in Leeds on Tuesday, just before the highly-anticipated series opener against England, which kicks off on Friday.

Gambhir had to return to New Delhi last week due to a family emergency concerning his mother’s health that necessitated hospitalization. However, sources familiar with the situation informed IANS that Gambhir is expected to arrive in England prior to the first Test, likely on Tuesday, coinciding with the Indian team's arrival in Leeds after a day off on Monday.

The Indian squad has been based in Beckenham, where they engaged in an intra-squad match between the main Test team and the India ‘A’ team, led by Abhimanyu Easwaran and coached by Hrishikesh Kanitkar. This match was conducted behind closed doors, with updates shared through the BCCI's social media channels.

During Gambhir's absence, the coaching staff, including batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Morne Morkel, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, and fielding coach T Dilip, took charge of preparing the Indian team for the upcoming Test series against Ben Stokes-led England, which will commence at Headingley.

While the intra-squad game was ongoing, there were sightings of VVS Laxman, the former Indian cricketer and current head of the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE), in the vicinity of the team. This sparked curiosity as Laxman’s presence coincided with Gambhir's trip back to New Delhi for family reasons. However, sources clarified to IANS that Laxman's meeting with the Indian team was scheduled as part of his itinerary, having been in Lausanne, Switzerland, for an Olympic-related event.

Upon returning to Leeds, Gambhir and the Indian team management will face numerous decisions regarding the playing eleven. Key considerations include determining which three Tests Jasprit Bumrah will partake in, and who will occupy the number three and four batting positions, with B Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, and Abhimanyu Easwaran as contenders.

There is also competition between seam-bowling allrounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur, as well as deciding who will join Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as the third fast-bowling option among Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep.

Under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, India is determined to secure a Test series victory in England for the first time since 2007. This five-match Test series marks India's inaugural assignment in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.