Rishabh Pant to Bat at No. 5, Shubman Gill to Take No. 4 Slot in England Test Series

Rishabh Pant, vice-captain of India, has publicly confirmed he will continue batting at the No. 5 spot for the possible 5-match Test series against England that starts later this month. "I have spoken to the team management and the batting coach about it and the plan is for me to continue batting at No. 5. Shubman Gill will take the No. 4 spot, which is a key position for this big series and he has been in great form," Pant said in a media interaction on Wednesday.

Pant's announcement clarifies the confusion about the batting order after Virat Kohli pulled out of the series for personal reasons. Gill has batted primarily in the No. 3 position in Test matches lately, so he will have to hit the ground running with some responsibility in the middle-order.

"We have had conversations with the team management and the batting coach about it and the plan is for me to continue batting at No. 5," said Pant. "Shubman takes over the No. 4 position, which is a key position especially in a series as big as this one. He has been in great form and he is ready."

Pant's return to Test cricket after a lengthy injury layoff earlier this year has been encouraging. The left-handed batter has made his mark on the game as an aggressive player who can turn a match upside down and adds another arrow to India's quiver as they look to try and win the series back on home soil. Gill has now become a steady option at the top of the batting order, and now he's been elevated to the Test side as a visible long term option, with the long term goal to help lead India on the field both from a batting position and as a future captain of the Indian Test side.

The Indian team for the first Test vs England starts to train on June 28 with the first Test being played in Hyderabad. India will be looking to build on the 2-1 Test victory over Australia whilst England will be looking to replicate their success from the 2022 tour, albeit with a much younger team under the captaincy of Ben Stokes.

With the batting order now largely settled, all eyes will be on India’s middle order as they prepare to counter England’s pace-heavy attack and adapt to the Bazball style that has redefined England’s Test approach in recent years.