India head coach Gautam Gambhir had to return to India on an emergency basis ahead of the senior team’s intra-squad match against India A, starting on Friday in Kent. The Indian team are currently in the United Kingdom to play a five-match Test series against England, starting on June 20 in Headingly.
Based on a Revsportz report, Gambhir returned to India after his mother has suffered a heart attack. She is currently hospitalised and being treated in ICU. Notably, the Test series against England marks the starts of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for India.
According to Sportstar, Gambhir left London early on Friday to be by his mother. In things ‘are under control’, them Gambhir will be rejoining the squad before the first Test. In the absence of Gambhir, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate will take charge, alongside Sitanshu Kotak (batting coach) and Morne Morkel (bowling coach).
Having taken the charge from Rahul Dravid last year after the T20 World Cup, Gambhir had endured a tough time as India head coach, with losses against New Zealand and Australia in Tests. However, he tasted his first major success as a coach when India lifted the Champions Trophy 2025.
The tour of England is also a first for Gambhir as a support staff. Meanwhile, India A, which has a eight players from the senior team, have already played two warm-up game against England Lions, both resulting in a draw. The India A vs India intra-squad game is the only remaining encounter that will give Gambhir and new captain Shubman Gill a final look into where they stand ahead of the Test series.
However, it is yet to be known where these eight players – including the likes of KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Yashasvi Jaiswal and etc – will play in the intra-squad game.
How India A, India Test squad look like?
India A: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (vice-captain/wicket-keeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harsh Dubey
India Test squad against England: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
