Kolkata: With Jasprit Bumrah available for just three Tests, and with no Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, or Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill's captaincy debut is anticipated to be nothing less than a baptism of fire as India face an erratic England in a five-Test series that begins on Friday at Headingley, Leeds.

Playing England in England has never been a relaxing experience. The fact that the first Test is at Headingley, where India were bowled out for 78 in their previous match there, makes the situation even worse. The field might not be as moist as it has been in the past due to Leeds's unusually high temperatures. However, India cannot assume the circumstances because history has peculiar ways of repeating itself.

In England, survival and success will depend on strategy. As they attempt to determine the top order, India, on the other hand, has greater cause for concern. As vice-captain Rishabh Pant will be batting at No. 5, Gill will bat at No. 4, which indicates that KL Rahul will probably be Yashasvi Jaiswal's opening partner.

This makes Karun Nair the most likely candidate. Despite the fact that the uncapped B Sai Sudharsan has more than enough evidence to suggest he should be in the game, the answer is no. Nair's return after eight years would be a remarkable comeback driven by outstanding local play, such as several centuries in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji Trophy, a double century for India A, and a successful tenure in the county with Northamptonshire.

Nevertheless, this may be the first instance in more than 20 years that India has been forced to make the most of their one-down alternative. India was never made to feel the pain of transition between Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, and subsequently between Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. Nonetheless, despite the presence of Kohli and Sharma, India has not had a particularly good year in Test cricket. The necessity for fresh blood and new combinations may have been hastened by a rare home series loss to New Zealand and a sobering defeat in Australia. India had to make a punt sometime. Gill will usher in a new era away from the comforts of home.

Because their unique way of batting is accommodated by England's pitches, Indians should also find it rather simple to score. However, seam bowling is still supported silently by the unpredictable sky. Here, the relative inexperience may be ruthlessly revealed.

The fact that Gill isn't really worried is a positive thing. On Thursday, Gill stated, "There are a lot of people who talk about our side not being experienced, but there are also positives in the fact that not all of the players have really been to England, so we don't really have any baggage coming here." "So that could be one thing that really makes a difference for us because we wouldn't be carrying any baggage."

In England, however, things are different. When they begin to lose the plot, their liberating style of cricket is not attractive, despite being entertaining. For this reason, since Ben Stokes took over as captain with Brendon McCullum as coach, England have won 23 and lost 12 tests. "We know that we are really, really good when we are on top of teams," Stokes said to the BBC.

"And where we may have let ourselves down in the past over the last three years is when we've been behind the game, we've not given ourselves the best chance of wresting ourselves back into the game, and that's an area that we have looked at and know that we need to get better at if we want to end up being where we want to end up being as a team."

Given that India has only managed to surpass 300 runs in the first innings of their previous 10 games over the past year, it has been a problem for the team, but Gill is hesitant to give up their bowling advantage. “You can’t win a Test match no matter how many runs you score unless you take 20 wickets,” he said. “Therefore, one of our main topics of conversation has been, you know, how we’re going to take 20 wickets. And who knows, maybe there would be a situation where we could only go with some pure hitters and you might witness a bowling all-rounder along with three to four top-notch fast bowlers or proper bowlers.

Although that perspective may seem courageous right now, it is yet to be seen how India will respond to a batting meltdown or, worse, a loss at Leeds. The practice of loading the eleven with batting alternatives is too deeply ingrained in India's touring mindset; this approach miserably failed in Australia a few months ago. However, this is a different captain who, with luck, will be equipped with a new mindset that can expand upon the good things from the past.

"We can win anywhere by following the blueprint that we got from our seniors in the last 5-10 years, and we will try to follow that same confidence and blueprint," Gill said. "And, as I said, if your team has a very good environment, players feel very secure and confident and they know what their role is. As a result, that's the atmosphere we want to foster within the team. Additionally, I believe that our Test series and the WTC cycle will be quite successful if we are able to establish such an atmosphere.

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