Debasis Sen in Manchester
Farokh Engineer, former India wicketkeeper-batter, has urged the team management to select the right combination for the crucial fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. With Shubman Gill and his team in a must-win situation to keep the series alive, Engineer emphasised the importance of strategic choices. Speaking to RevSportz, the 87-year-old veteran expressed his support for including spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI, citing his ability to make a difference in key moments. Engineer believes that team selection will be vital and could determine India’s chances of turning the series around in this high-stakes encounter. Here are the excerpts:
Historically, India haven’t won a Test match at Old Trafford—played nine, lost four, drew five. Can Shubman and his team bounce back in the series?
Farokh Engineer: I would say pick the right team. That’s key. If Plan A hasn’t worked, go with Plan B. Bring in Sai Sudharsan and Kuldeep. Bumrah must play. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll change history at Old Trafford. You never know—losing the toss might even be a blessing in disguise.
Should India play Kuldeep Yadav at Old Trafford?
Engineer: Definitely. He’s a genuine spinner—a wrist spinner who turns the ball. Jadeja and Washington Sundar are more holding bowlers. Washington has done well—he’s a handy batsman and a great fielder, so I’d keep him. But I’d bring in Kuldeep in place of an all-rounder like Nitish Reddy. Kuldeep could’ve made a difference in the previous Tests, where the conditions supported spin. Old Trafford also takes spin, and he could relieve pressure off Bumrah and Siraj.
Speaking of Old Trafford, what kind of pitch are we expecting? Is it a ‘win the toss, bat-first’ surface?
Engineer: Generally, yes, but it’s a 50-50 wicket. There’s grass on it early on, which will likely be shaved off. The first afternoon of a Test match is usually the best time to bat. That being said, it also offers help to pacers. It depends on how well your openers play and how Bumrah bowls. He must play, in my opinion.
Should Bumrah be picking and choosing which Tests to play?
Engineer: No, I agree 100 percent with what Dilip Vengsarkar said—if he’s fit, he must play. He’s the best fast bowler in the world today and incredibly loyal to India. We have enough rest days between Tests. He can be managed—bowl short spells, use the dressing room facilities, get massages, and come back. But he must play, especially with the series at stake.
Rishabh Pant picked up a finger injury during the Lord’s test. Do you see him playing as a specialist batter at Old Trafford?
Engineer: For the runs he’s scored, yes, he can play as a pure batter. But Rishabh is unpredictable. Whatever comes to his mind, he does it. I joked with him about his shot selection, and he just laughed—said he does what feels right in the moment.
He has the confidence and has gotten away with it often. But he needs to be more responsible in crucial moments, like right before lunch or at the end of a day’s play. Still, he’s immensely talented. He invents his own shots, and thankfully, helmets allow that now. In our time, we wouldn’t have had any teeth left.
Shouldn’t he (Pant) avoid such risky shots in Test cricket?
Engineer: Absolutely. Save those for IPL. Test cricket demands discipline. From a number three or four, you expect them to play proper cricket, get big scores, and build innings. Rishabh has scored centuries in both innings of a Test, which is remarkable. So yes, he could play purely as a batsman, especially with England’s strong bowling lineup, now including Jofra Archer and Atkinson.
Do you think the confrontation between Shubman Gill and Zak Crawley on the final evening may have galvanised the England team?
Engineer: When there’s needle in the game—shoulder-to-shoulder stuff—it’s never ideal. Some commentators said it added intensity to the game, which is fine, but it can also be a distraction. In our time, we had altercations too, especially with the Aussies and even the English. But we put them in their place and moved on.
You made a good point. Did it affect Shubman and the Indian team? Possibly. It definitely brought England closer as a unit. Shubman is still young as a captain, but he’s doing well. He leads by example, and his batting in English conditions has silenced a lot of critics. He’s a class act.
KL Rahul has also been in excellent form. Your thoughts?
Engineer: KL is like vintage wine—just getting better with time. It’s unfortunate that our No. 3, Karun Nair, hasn’t stepped up. He’s played some decent cameos—20s and 30s—but as a No. 3, you’re expected to score big hundreds. That’s what the team needs.
How heartbreaking was it for you to see the loss at Lords?
Engineer: Yes, absolutely. We should have been 2-1 up instead of trailing. We let England score too many runs, and our main batters didn’t click on the penultimate day. KL Rahul got out cheaply, and the conditions were tough, especially on the last day of a Test match. Still, we should have chased it down.
The way Bumrah and Siraj batted at the end was a bit of a lesson to the top order: if they could hang in there and support Jadeja, why couldn’t the others? We didn’t play clever shots and didn’t have the best of luck—but no excuses. England deserved to win, and they did.
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