Strange selection, says Manjrekar; Irfan, Harbhajan congratulate skipper Gill

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar on Saturday described India’s 18-strong Test squad for the tour of England as “strange” but asked for a patient approach towards newly-appointed Test captain Shubman Gill.

India will play five Tests against England starting June 20, and batting star Gill has been handed the responsibility to steer the team during a “massive transition” phase following the retirement of top stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

“Strange team selection overall. But India go to England with nothing to lose. It’s a team in transition so we can only wish it the very best & yes, be patient when it comes to returns on investment.#indianteam,” Manjrekar, a former batter, wrote on his X handle without explaining the reasons for his observation.

Young left-hander Sai Sudharsan and the seasoned Karun Nair have been brought in to replace Rohit and Kohli, while left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has also earned his maiden Test call-up.

Congratulating the team, former seam allrounder Irfan Pathan wrote: “Many Congratulations to Sai Sudharsan, Arshdeep Singh, Karun Nair for being selected for the ultimate format and the challenging English summer.

“Congratulations to Shubman Gill for being appointed as Indian Test captain. But surely team India is going to miss Mohammed Shami’s services in those conditions.”

At 25 years of age, Gill will be India’s fifth youngest Test captain after Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (21), Sachin Tendulkar (23), Kapil Dev (24) and Ravi Shastri (25).

“Congratulations @ShubmanGill. Good luck in England,” wrote former India skipper Harbhajan Singh.

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