The Indian team embarks on a new chapter when the Shubman Gill-led side walks into the field without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the first time in the opening Test of a five-match series against England on Friday in Leeds. Rishabh Pant will be Gill’s deputy. With the big two catching the boys play on television, the onus to deliver on the big stage will be on a new-look squad to prove their mettle against the likes of Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, etc.
While England have already announced their playing XI for the first Test, India are yet to name theirs. With Yashasvi Jaiswal pairing up with KL Rahul at the top, and Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant taking the no.4 and 5 slots respectively, the biggest question is who will bat at no.3?
Sai Sudharsan or Abhimanyu Easwaran?
Unlike Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan wasn’t a part of the India A squad that played England Lions in two unofficial Tests. That gives the Bengal star an edge over Sudharsan in terms of practice and fair reading of the pitch conditions in the United Kingdom. To add more to that, Easwaran’s two fifty-plus scores have given the Indian management a healthy a selection headache.
Easwaran’s knocks came at no.1 and 3 slots. On the other hand, Sudharsan is coming after a Orange Cap finish in IPL 2025 for Gujarat Titans. Although, one can’t complain about Sudharsan’s cricketing acumen, there is a huge difference between IPL and Test cricket.
How the Indian middle-order would look like?
With Gill and Pant fixed at No.4 and 5 respectively, Karun Nair might come up at no.6 after his double ton against England Lions. Ravindra Jadeja, the lone survivor of the Kohli-Rohit-Ashwin era, will take up the no.7 spot followed by fast bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who smashed a hundred during the intra-squad match recently. In case India want more depth in batting, Nitish Kumar Reddy is an option too.
Jasprit Bumrah to lead Indian bowling attack
India pacer attack will be spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, alongside Mohammed Siraj. However, there will be a toss-up between Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh for the third seamer’s slot depending on the conditions. If the weather is overcast and windy, India might hand left-arm seamer Arshdeep his maiden Test cap. That means, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav misses out with Jadeja being the lone slow bowler.
India’s probable XI for 1st Test against England: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan/Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna/Arshdeep Singh.
England XI for 1st Test against India: Ben Stokes (C), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
