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India have some important decisions to make ahead of their next assignment in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle as Shubman Gill's side heading home for a pair of two-match series against the West Indies and South Africa across October and November, as per the official website of ICC.
The two-time World Test Championship runners up will be targeting maximum points across those four home clashes and we look at five burning questions the side must answer prior to their next Test match-up. The plan to only play Jasprit Bumrah in three Tests in England was somewhat vindicated by the 2-2 scoreline and the performances of fellow pacer Mohammed Siraj across the five matches and India will be keeping a close eye on the fitness of their pace spearhead going forward. Based on what happened in England it is unlikely to expect Bumrah to play all four home Tests later this year, especially with the ICC Men's T20 World Cup on the horizon early in 2026. Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair both got opportunities to make the No.3 spot their own during the England tour, but neither player really took advantage of the chance with the pair struggling to come to grips with England's pace attack. One of this duo will likely get another opportunity against the West Indies in October and India will be keen for someone to put their hand up and really make the spot their own. With conditions on the sub-continent likely to be vastly different to what the sides encountered in England, India will almost certainly include left-arm tweaker Kuldeep Yadav for their home contests against the West Indies and South Africa. Kuldeep Yadav was very close to playing in England, with veteran Ravindra Jadeja and all-rounder Washington Sundar instead included and the pair performed admirably across the series with seven wickets apiece. While Jadeja is a certain starter in any India Test XI at the moment, it will be interesting to see whether selectors continue to provide Washington Sundar opportunities in the same team and whether Nitish Kumar Reddy will also get a chance. Washington and Reddy are future stars of Indian cricket and Jadeja is much closer to the end of his career than the start, so expect more chances for the young all-rounders. Mohammed Siraj stepped up when needed most for India across the five-match series in England and will be full of confidence heading home ahead of red-ball contests with the West Indies and South Africa. It will be tough for Siraj to match his efforts in England, especially when you consider the 31-year-old has a much better Test bowling average away from home than what he does in India. Siraj doesn't need to be a match-winner in every game he plays though and can thrive in all conditions. (ANI)
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