India’s expected XI in 1st Test against New Zealand: Injured Shubman Gill out and Sarfaraz Khan coming?

What will be India’s expected XI against New Zealand in the first Test of the three-match series starting on Wednesday in Bengaluru? While the line-up seemed tight, a report in India Today said that Shubman Gill was feeling pain in his shoulder and neck. If Gill doesn’t play, there could be problems having a settled XI. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, the torchbearers of India’s transition phase, will have to be the team’s driving force to rule over troubled New Zealand when the two sides face off in a three-Test series starting Wednesday. The baton isn’t quite passed yet, but Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are certainly in the final round and these two young superstars need to show that they can carry the Titans’ legacy forward.

Since a productive series against England earlier this year, Gill is now more familiar and comfortable with the rigors of Test cricket. His last ten innings included three hundreds and two fifties, while Jaiswal’s last eight appearances in Test cricket included a 214 and five fifties.

These numbers are nothing to sneeze at. But at the same time it is important for them to build on the foundation with this series, a precursor to the much more difficult trip to Australia next month. Gill appears to have sorted out his problems with the incoming deliveries from pacers, but a trace of the old failure still lingers. Gill’s absence could open the door for Sarfaraz Khan or Dhruv Jurel to get back into India’s playing XI.

In Chennai, Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahamud harassed him with his supporters before finally grabbing his wicket.

Similarly, Jaiswal has a penchant for taking expansive shots against pace bowlers in order to get dismissed, as evidenced by his three recent dismissals against Bangladesh quicks.

Overall, the left-hander has fallen to pacers 12 times in 20 innings and he would like to have a better record before facing a group of quality Australian pacers.

Although these concerns are not deep-rooted, they serve as a warning against a New Zealand attack that has capable hands in pacers Matt Henry, William O’Rourke and the experienced Tim Southee if it is allowed to play here after a severe decline in form.

There is another aspect to Jaiswal and Gill becoming the pillars of the Indian line-up as Kohli and Rohit haven’t exactly roiled the field.

Rohit, who has played 15 innings this year, made two hundreds but managed just one fifty in the remaining 13, taking his total to just over 35 to 497 runs in eight Tests.

Kohli, who is 53 runs short of 9,000 Test runs, has not even managed a fifty in six innings this year and while Rohit often perishes in his attempt to ride the momentum, his colleague presents a much stranger case.

The 35-year-old Kohli was unable to convert the two starts he had this year, finishing with 46 (against South Africa) and 47 (against Bangladesh), bringing unpleasant memories of the big slump between 2019 and 2023 woke up.

The master batter will also have to keep an eye on left-arm New Zealand spinners Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra – the stock that has been a thorn in his side in the past.

It’s been a while since these two stars have left their mark on a full series and a nervous New Zealand could be their golden chance to do so.

India have few concerns but New Zealand’s problems in the batting and bowling departments are more pronounced.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep

With PTI inputs