 "Ajinkya Rahane has not included Karun Nair in his predicted Playing XI for India. Image: Reuters")
Ajinkya Rahane has picked Dhruv Jurel in place of Karun Nair in India’s playing XI for the first Test against England at Headingley , Leeds, which starts on Friday, 20 June. While it has been reported by multiple media houses that Karun Nair is set to make a comeback to the Indian Team after a gap of over seven years, Rahane feels Jurel will be a better fit.
Nair last played for India in 2017 before being dropped from the team. He, however, is in great form in domestic cricket and scored 863 runs in the recent Ranji Trophy season. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 779 runs and also smashed a double century in the practice match against England Lions.
Ajinkya Rahane’s Predicted XI for the Headingley Test
Rahane, however, doesn’t seem convinced and opted for Dhruv Jurel in the playing XI. For the No.3 spot, Rahane went with Sai Sudharsan.
Rahane feels the recent good form in IPL and domestic cricket would help Sai Sudharsan do well for India at No.3. “I think so. Yes, he has been in very good form in T20 cricket as well as red-ball cricket. Whatever domestic matches he has played, he’s done really well for his side and his technique looks really composed and calm whenever he is batting at the crease, so I think he should be given a chance to bat at number three,” Rahane said on his YouTube channel.
Ajinkya Rahane’s Predicted XI for Headingley Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
England’s Confirmed Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir