 "India vs England: Ravi Shastri shares his preferred playing XI for first Test; names Rohit-Kohli's replacement")
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has shared his preferred playing XI for the first Test against England, which is slated to begin on 20 June in Leeds. Shastri is backing young left-handed batter Sai Sudharsan to make his debut and play at the important No.3 spot.
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Shastri picks India’s playing XI for 1st Test
Speaking on the ICC Review, Shastri said that KL Rahul should open the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal with Rohit Sharma now retired from the longest format. He wants the in-form Sai Sudharsan at the No. 3 position. The 23-year-old impressed everyone with his consistent performances in domestic cricket and the IPL.
“It would be (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, and with him will be KL Rahul, because I think this is a big tour for him. He’s the most experienced of the batsmen. He (Rahul) opened last time when India toured England, got a hundred, (and) had a good tour. So I would hope for him to open the innings,” Shastri said.
“Three, I’ll go with the youngster, Sai Sudharsan. Whatever I’ve seen of him he’s very impressive. This will be good exposure for him, this tour,” he added.
Shubman Gill , who usually bats at No.3, is expected to move to the No.4 position, which was earlier occupied by legend Virat Kohli, who also stepped down from Tests recently. Shastri believes the same and also said that Karun Nair should come in at No.5. Nair recently returned to the Test squad after eight years.
Rishabh Pant is expected to play at No.6 and will also keep wickets. He has been made the vice-captain of the team.
“In all probability, depending on what current form is, it’ll be Karun Nair (at No. 5). He bats at five, it’s a long time since he played for India. Six will be (Rishabh) Pant. I think he (Nair) has worked really hard. He’s just worked his way back into the side. The number of runs he’s got in first-class cricket is incredible.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“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,” Shastri said.
Shastri picked Ravindra Jadeja for the No. 7 spot. Meanwhile, he acknowledged it will be a tough choice between Shardul Thakur and Nitish Reddy for the all-rounder’s spot. Shastri said Reddy might be selected if he can bowl enough overs and contribute with the bat.
“I would go with three fast bowlers, (plus) Shardul Thakur. I know it’ll be a tough one between Shardul (Thakur) and Nitish Reddy, but you have to see who bowls how much. If Reddy is going to give you 12, 14 overs, then he might get the nod because of his batting.”
Shastri’s preferred bowling attack
When it comes to the bowling attack, Shastri said that he would like three pacers in the playing XI for the Leeds conditions. His picked Jasprit Bumrah , Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. Shastri further pointed out that if it’s overcast conditions in Leeds then management might prefer Arshdeep Singh over Krishna.
“And the three fast bowlers would be, I would go with Prasidh Krishna, I would go with Mohammed Siraj and of course Jasprit Bumrah.”
“In Leeds, if it’s overcast and it’s cloudy, there might be the temptation of going with the left-armer Arshdeep Singh as well. So it will be Prasidh Krishna/Arshdeep, but the other two will be Siraj and Bumrah.” India last won a Test series in England in 2007.
India’s last Test series win in England came in 2007, and hence the Indian team will give their all to bring out the best result. This series will also be important as it will mark the start of India’s World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.
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