Gambhir to rejoin team India in Leeds

New Delhi

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir will rejoin the national cricket team in Leeds on Tuesday (today) ahead of their first Test match against England, starting Friday. Gambhir had returned to New Delhi last week due to a family emergency involving his mother’s hospitalisation.

Sources confirmed that Gambhir will arrive in Leeds on the same day as the team, who are traveling from Beckenham after a rest day on Monday. The team recently played an intra-squad match against India ‘A’, led by Abhimanyu Easwaran, behind closed doors.

While Gambhir was away, the team’s preparations were managed by batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Morne Morkel, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, and fielding coach T Dilip. Meanwhile, former cricketer and BCCI Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman also briefly visited the team, which some speculated was linked to Gambhir’s absence. However, sources clarified his visit was pre-planned.

Upon returning, Gambhir and the coaching staff face key decisions ahead of the first Test. They must finalise the playing XI, including which three Tests Jasprit Bumrah will play, who fills the number three and four batting slots, and the choice between seam-bowling allrounders Nitish Reddy and Shardul Thakur.

The pace lineup after Bumrah and Siraj remains undecided among Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep.

India, led by Shubman Gill, are aiming to win a Test series in England for the first time since 2007. This five-match series also marks India’s first challenge in the 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle.