As soon as the IPL draws to a close, the Indian players will set off for England for the five-match Test series. This is their inaugural theater in the new World Test Championship cycle. In recent times, India and Rohit Sharma had a tough series of matches, making the WTC final impossible to attain, losing six of eight matches toward the end. England, therefore, presents a good opportunity to regain lost glory after finishing poorly in the last cycle.
While Indians are gearing up for the big showdown against England, let’s check who all might be part of the playing eleven. Rohit Sharma had a poor tour of Australia and accumulated a mere 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20. Still, the BCCI is willing to keep him as the Test captain for this important series.
The vice-captain role could possibly go to Shubman Gill. He has fared well at No. 3, scoring 1019 runs off 30 innings at 37.74, including three centuries. Meanwhile, young Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made 391 runs in Australia at 43.44, is expected to open with Rohit. Virat Kohli is very much expected to retain his No. 4 spot after a stellar IPL.
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There are talks about calling up B Sai Sudharsan as the third opener after the IPL 2025, where he scored 1957 runs at an average of nearly 40 in First-Class cricket. Arshdeep Singh could also come into the reckoning for his skill to swing the new ball, especially with his experience in the County Championship.
After recovering from injuries, the experienced Shami and Jadeja could again have an opportunity to play. These two players have been indispensable in Test matches for India, with Shami’s bowling and Jadeja’s all-round prowess serving the team well in England. It would be a good idea to keep Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul in the side, as well as adding Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Reddy for being reliable Test batters.
With Jasprit Bumrah being injury-prone, the BCCI might therefore consider bringing in a couple of fast bowlers as backups. Prasidh Krishna, 19 wickets in 10 matches in IPL, could get a chance in Tests, and Siraj and Washington Sundar would probably stay a part of the core.
India’s Probable Squad For England Tests
Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Devdutt Padikkal
