Ravi Shastri picks one fast bowling all-rounder in the playing XI for India's first Test.
We are just a couple of nights away from the much-coveted England Test series, which will mark the beginning of the new World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle for both teams. While England are all set under Ben Stokes, India will be seen under the new leadership of Shubman Gill. This comes after the sudden retirements of Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. The 25-year-old skipper has got a huge assignment first up in his captaincy career. Former India coach Ravi Shastri has listed his preferred playing XI for the first Test starting on June 20 in Leeds.
With England adopting an aggressive style of play since the appointment of Brendon McCullum as their Head Coach in 2022, Gill and his men will have to be wary of the English setup. Skipper Ben Stokes and his team are also without the services of their two most experienced pacers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Ravi Shastri has penned down his Playing XI for India’s first Test against England in Leeds. He expressed that the left-right pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul would be his preference for the opening role. Speaking about Rahul’s experience in English conditions, Shastri mentioned that he had a good English Summer the last time around.
“He opened last time when India toured England, got a hundred, had a good tour. So I would hope for him to open the innings”, Shastri said favouring KL Rahul.
The stylish commentator went on to state that he would love to see Sai Sudharsan at the No.3 spot. He spoke about how impressive the Gujarat Titans batter has been. He also added that this tour will be a stepping stone in his career.
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India’s former all-rounder trusts the new skipper to take up the spot at No.4. He believes that the 25-year-old has the potential to perform well at the position, given his records and experience in the longest format of the game. In a span of 32 matches, Gill has managed to score 1,893 runs with five centuries under his belt, two of which have come against England.
At No.5, Shastri reckoned that it might be a matter of form, but he rests his belief in Karun Nair. The 63-year-old feels that Nair’s experience in the county will help him on this tour. The Delhi Capitals batter has earned a long-awaited call to the national side. His triple hundred came against the same opposition.
“I think he [Nair] has worked hard. He’s just worked his way back into the side. The number of runs he’s got in first-last cricket is incredible. And I met him during an IPL game. I said, ‘Don’t just bang the door. Just kick it down and make your way in and walk into that side.’ And I think he’s done just that. Just the number of runs that he’s got has made the selectors look in that direction and give him a place”, India’s former Head Coach said.
For the wicketkeeper’s role, Shastri selects Vice-Captain Rishabh Pant. The young wicketkeeper-batter has shown what he is capable of, and surely can pack a punch. With his aggressive batting style, he can take the game away from the opposition within a matter of minutes, and India will hope he does the same.
Ravindra Jadeja makes it to Shastri’s team as the frontline spinner. The left-arm orthodox spinner has been one of the best all-rounders for the country in Tests, and a lot will rely on his class if India are to do well on this tour.
Speaking about the bowling combination, he stressed that the selection of Arshdeep Singh would depend on the conditions. Moreover, Gill and the management would have to make a tough call between Shardul and Nitish Reddy. However, the Indian commentator was very clear that he would go with three fast bowlers in Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and either Prasidh Krishna or Arshdeep Singh.
“I know it’ll be a tough one between Shardul and Nitish Reddy, but you have to see who bowls how much. In Leeds, if it’s overcast and it’s cloudy, there might be the temptation of going with the left-armer Ashdeep Singh as well. So it will be Prasidh Krishna/Ashdeep Singh, but the other two will be Siraj and Bumrah”, Shastri concluded, speaking about the bowling combination.
Ravi Shastri’s Playing XI For India’s First Test at Leeds
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (capt), Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (vice-capt, wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna/Arshdeep Singh.
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