<p>New Delhi: A sample size of one game is not enough to make a sweeping judgement but India certainly did not miss their recently retired superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the opening Test against England with the new top-four giving a very settled look to the batting line-up.</p>.<p>How long would it take to fill the void left by Rohit and Kohli? This question dominated the discussions leading up to the first Test at Headingley.</p>.<p>New captain Shubman Gill, whose record in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries was questioned, had to make a significant contribution to earn the respect of the dressing room.</p>.India’s tail and its missing sting.<p>Not only did he make a statement hundred as India's new number four, the visitors tallied as many as five centuries across two innings yet somehow managed to lose the game, thanks to a bowling attack which is heavily reliant on Jasprit Bumrah.</p>.<p>K L Rahul was all class at the top of the order, shutting the debate on his batting slot for the foreseeable future. He put a masterclass on how to bat in English conditions.</p>.<p>His opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had smashed a memorable hundred to start his maiden tour of Australia, replicated that in his first innings in England.</p>.<p>There were questions on Gill's defence and his technique against the moving ball but he reinvented his game ahead of an important tour.</p>.<p>The way he used his feet was duly noted by the greats of the game, including former captain Sourav Ganguly, who was pleasantly surprised by the improvement.</p>.<p>"I am so happy to see his feet (movement) away from home, there's a massive improvement in that away from home. Shubman's feet were fantastic, didn't make a mistake," Ganguly told PTI in an interview recently.</p>.<p>And there was Rishabh Pant at number five, achieving a rare feat of two hundreds in a Test with a welcome mix of maturity and flamboyance, showing he was ready to change gears.</p>.<p>New number three Sai Sudharsan got out off a innocuous ball in the first innings before showing promise in the second essay.</p>.<p>He is expected to be given a long rope and the same goes for Karun Nair, who would be looking to keep his drives through the ground after lean returns from the game.</p>.<p>India have a lot to improve in the bowling and fielding department but the batting seems to be sorted for now.</p>.<p>"We can tell end of the series whether the transition has happened (following retirements of Rohit and Kohli)," former India chief selector MSK Prasad told <em>PTI</em>.</p>.<p>"The batting doing well is not a surprise as they are they are seasoned cricketers. Gill, Yashasvi, Pant, KL, they all were outstanding and have been around for long. I want to talk more about KL, when he plays like that, Test cricket looks at its best," he said.</p>.<p>Prasad said he won't be making any changes to the playing eleven at Edgbaston despite clamour for Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion.</p>.<p>"Shardul was picked because of what he has done in England on previous tours. I would give him another opportunity," the former India wicket-keeper added.</p>.<p>To add to that, the lower-order needs to a show a lot more application with the bat.</p>.<p>Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, who has played a few memorable knocks in England, too was left impressed by the batters.</p>.<p>"Most of the batters performed. I would say that is a very good sign going forward. Apart from this you have got three quality batters who are not even part of the squad -- Shreyas, Sarfaraz and Padikkal.</p>.<p>"The main batters are in form and I am sure Karun and Sai will also come good eventually," said Vengsarkar.</p>.<p>India have a steep climb ahead but considering the batters' performance in the series opener, the selectors stand to move on from Rohit and Kohli has been vindicated. </p>
<p>New Delhi: A sample size of one game is not enough to make a sweeping judgement but India certainly did not miss their recently retired superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the opening Test against England with the new top-four giving a very settled look to the batting line-up.</p>.<p>How long would it take to fill the void left by Rohit and Kohli? This question dominated the discussions leading up to the first Test at Headingley.</p>.<p>New captain Shubman Gill, whose record in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries was questioned, had to make a significant contribution to earn the respect of the dressing room.</p>.India’s tail and its missing sting.<p>Not only did he make a statement hundred as India's new number four, the visitors tallied as many as five centuries across two innings yet somehow managed to lose the game, thanks to a bowling attack which is heavily reliant on Jasprit Bumrah.</p>.<p>K L Rahul was all class at the top of the order, shutting the debate on his batting slot for the foreseeable future. He put a masterclass on how to bat in English conditions.</p>.<p>His opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had smashed a memorable hundred to start his maiden tour of Australia, replicated that in his first innings in England.</p>.<p>There were questions on Gill's defence and his technique against the moving ball but he reinvented his game ahead of an important tour.</p>.<p>The way he used his feet was duly noted by the greats of the game, including former captain Sourav Ganguly, who was pleasantly surprised by the improvement.</p>.<p>"I am so happy to see his feet (movement) away from home, there's a massive improvement in that away from home. Shubman's feet were fantastic, didn't make a mistake," Ganguly told PTI in an interview recently.</p>.<p>And there was Rishabh Pant at number five, achieving a rare feat of two hundreds in a Test with a welcome mix of maturity and flamboyance, showing he was ready to change gears.</p>.<p>New number three Sai Sudharsan got out off a innocuous ball in the first innings before showing promise in the second essay.</p>.<p>He is expected to be given a long rope and the same goes for Karun Nair, who would be looking to keep his drives through the ground after lean returns from the game.</p>.<p>India have a lot to improve in the bowling and fielding department but the batting seems to be sorted for now.</p>.<p>"We can tell end of the series whether the transition has happened (following retirements of Rohit and Kohli)," former India chief selector MSK Prasad told <em>PTI</em>.</p>.<p>"The batting doing well is not a surprise as they are they are seasoned cricketers. Gill, Yashasvi, Pant, KL, they all were outstanding and have been around for long. I want to talk more about KL, when he plays like that, Test cricket looks at its best," he said.</p>.<p>Prasad said he won't be making any changes to the playing eleven at Edgbaston despite clamour for Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion.</p>.<p>"Shardul was picked because of what he has done in England on previous tours. I would give him another opportunity," the former India wicket-keeper added.</p>.<p>To add to that, the lower-order needs to a show a lot more application with the bat.</p>.<p>Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, who has played a few memorable knocks in England, too was left impressed by the batters.</p>.<p>"Most of the batters performed. I would say that is a very good sign going forward. Apart from this you have got three quality batters who are not even part of the squad -- Shreyas, Sarfaraz and Padikkal.</p>.<p>"The main batters are in form and I am sure Karun and Sai will also come good eventually," said Vengsarkar.</p>.<p>India have a steep climb ahead but considering the batters' performance in the series opener, the selectors stand to move on from Rohit and Kohli has been vindicated. </p>