Gill to Bat at No.4 While Pant Comes at No.5 for India in Tests Against England

England and India are all set to lock horns in the first Test of the five-match series. The match will begin on Friday, with the England cricket team already announcing their playing XI. India’s new vice-captain, Rishabh Pant, also shared some insights on how the Indian team might look in the post-Rohit-Kohli era.

Pant revealed that the newly appointed skipper, Shubman Gill, will bat at No.4 while he himself will come out at No.5. "I think there is still discussion going on about who is going to play at 3. But definitely, 4 and 5 are fixed. I think Shubman is going to bat at number 4 and I'm going to stick to number 5 as of now. And the rest, we are going to keep on discussing."

No.4 has been an iconic position for the Indian side in Test cricket, with the great Sachin Tendulkar also occupying the spot for most of his career. Sachin’s departure left a space that was quickly filled by superstar Virat Kohli, who played some memorable innings at that position. Now with Kohli gone, there will likely be some experimentation with the position, with Gill getting the first go.

Gill started at No.4, was promoted up the order to No.3, and will now once again perform his duties at No.4. The No.3 position, however, is still up for grabs, with Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair both in contention. Both players have been in great form leading into the series and will pose a healthy selection dilemma for the team management.

With Sharma, Kohli, and Ashwin gone, India is set to enter a new era with fresh blood. The team selected for the England series is quite young and will need to prove their mettle against a very strong side in their own backyard. This will be the first time India enters a series without any of the above-mentioned trio since 2011.

"Obviously, it's a new start for us — big people have left. Yes, there will be a gap, but at the same time, it's an opportunity for us to build a new culture from here or take a culture forward from there, just adding to it,” said Pant, acknowledging the gap in experience.

“I think being in a great frame of mind, helping the new players to learn and improve themselves in overseas conditions, and sharing knowledge with each other — having that care and love in the dressing room for each other — that is something we are looking forward to doing."