Team India embarks on a new red-ball era in Old Blighty

Navigating a challenging transition in Indian cricket as Shubman Gill leads a new era against England at Headingley.

Sporting transitions are often intimidating and discomforting. Personnel change, demands shift, goals are reset and targets revised. In cricket, where captains often mould teams in their own image, a change at the helm brings about an entire identity switch.

Tricky phase

Navigating this in-between phase is tricky, for the feeling of unease and apprehension can mess with the strongest of minds. Fail, and the critics will yearn for the stars from the bygone period. Succeed, and there will be over-the-top praise in the superlative. As far as acid tests go, this ranks among the toughest.

It is this nervous and unforgiving space that India finds itself in.

The first of five Test matches against England starting here at Headingley on Friday marks the beginning of a fresh World Test Championship cycle for both sides and the wise men of Indian cricket have placed their complete trust in 25-year-old Shubman Gill — set to be India’s 37th Test captain — to dispel the anxiety and kick-start a brand new red-ball era.

This is no ordinary transition. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R. Ashwin — three of India’s greatest match-winners — are no longer there.

Shuffling roster