Gill, Pant, Jaiswal can take India forward like Virat did alone: Michael Vaughan

It would take the combined might of new Test captain Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant to take the Indian Test team forward in the absence of Virat Kohli, who did the job “single-handedly” in his prime, feels former England captain Michael Vaughan.

The Indian batting line-up seems to have moved on rather smoothly from Kohli and Rohit Sharma going by the performances so far in the Test series against England but Vaughan, said a good start does not mean that the task has been accomplished.

“They (Gill, Jaiswal and Pant) now have to drag this Indian Test team forward like Virat did single-handedly. There’s a group of them that I see that play the game the right way,” said the cricketer-turned-commentator.

“They’ve got a great chance of leaving a legacy in a few years’ time of doing what Virat Kohli did to the Indian Test team. If they can be anywhere near as close as what he brought to the Test match team, the energy and the number-one status for such a long period of time, they’ll have done a decent job,” he added.

Kohli and Rohit announced Test retirements ahead of the England tour and Vaughan said while India will always have abundant talent but aura of a player like Kohli is not easy to find.

“You can’t move on so suddenly after two legends have retired or moved out of the team. Shubman’s made an incredible start as a captain and as a player. He’s a wonderful player. In terms of batting, I don’t think the team will struggle too much,” said Vaughan.

“It’s that competitive energy that Virat brought to the Test team. He just brought that buzz and that intensity that you require. Tactically, he was very good as well. That’ll be something that Shubman can get better at over the years as captain,” he added.

Considering the depth of talent and resources, Vaughan expects India to dominate Test cricket which they have not been able to do despite reaching two WTC (World Test Championship) finals in three cycles.

“I wouldn’t be worried about a Test team if I was India. You’re always going to produce a very competitive team…I’d want my Test team to be more consistent if I was India. With the talent that you have in India, I’d want it to be more competitive across all the different areas where they play,” he said.

Don’t understand exclusion of Bumrah, Kuldeep

Like many experts, Vaughan has been left perplexed by the exclusion of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah from the second Test along with spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is yet to play in the series.

“I didn’t agree with that. Seven days off and you don’t play your best bowler. No Kuldeep, I don’t understand that as well. I didn’t quite get that India were going to bowl first as well here.

“I just don’t quite understand why you wouldn’t want Kuldeep in the Test team. It’s a Test game that’s over five days and over five days a leg-spinner should have a say. His record against England is exceptional. I’d certainly be looking to use Kuldeep Yadav a bit more if that was an Indian Test team.

“When you play two spinners surely the way for beating them, you get runs on the board and hope the pitch deteriorates. I wouldn’t look at Headingley at anything other than that. If they’d have caught the chances, India would have won,” said Vaughan, who has predicted that England will win the series as they have not lost a five-match series at home since 2001.

Love India

Vaughan has developed a strong connect with India post retirement, so much so that he keeps “promoting” the country to his friends as a top holiday destination.

Vaughan only played two out of his 82 Tests in India but over the past decade, his media commitments have allowed him to explore the country much better, especially Mumbai.

“I love coming to India. I love coming to Mumbai. The IPL is just an incredible juggernaut of success and glamour and so much drama, which is always great to cover, but I generally just love going to Mumbai for a few weeks a year.

“Whether it’s Dindayal (roadside barber) cutting my hair in Mumbai next to the hotel or playing a bit of paddle tennis or walking around the Oval Madan, it’s wonderful,” he gushed.

“There’s so much culture. In terms of the love of the people, they’re all so happy. Everyone seems to be so happy in Mumbai, so it’s always great to go,” said Vaughan.

Test cricket doesn’t need saving

Vaughan believes Test cricket is not in danger, the packed crowds in England suggest so. However, for it to thrive outside India, England and Australia, the ICC must distribute the cash between full members more fairly if not equally.

“Test cricket doesn’t need saving. Test cricket over the last three years has been the most entertaining. I’ve been very open that we should make the players bowl the overs on the given day. Don’t allow slow play, just 90 overs a day.

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“…if we can position the whole of the world playing Test cricket at the same time, we want windows where it’s just Test cricket. Like a 50-over World Cup or a Tier 20 World Cup, that’s all that’s played at that time. Everyone’s watching that one format.

“Have two tiers, promotion and relegation, and I think you’ll find that Test cricket will be a great spectacle…We have to find a way of making it a more watchable product all over the world, not just in two or three countries.”

In the end, he had a message for the ICC.

“The ICC needs to spread the wealth more evenly across the board and if we want two tiers to be competitive and we want teams in the second tier to have the chance to go into the first tier, well, they can’t do that without no cash,” he pointed out.

“If that doesn’t happen and the spread of the cash is as it is now with the top three getting most of the money, we’ll have a game that will be them and us (big three),” Vaughan added.