IND vs ENG: Not KL Rahul! This star batter may open with Yashasvi Jaiswal in England Tour as Australian legend says...
In this collection of pictures we shall know the star batter who might open with Yashasvi Jaiswal in England Tour. Interestingly, it's not KL Rahul. Let's dive in.
KL Rahul has staked his claim to be the opener in the Test series against England by scoring a century while opening the innings against England Lions. He opened the innings for India-A in the second unofficial Test match against England Lions and scored 116 runs in the first innings.
However, a 23-year-old explosive batsman is also in the race to become Yashasvi Jaiswal's partner. This batsman showed with his stormy batting in the recently concluded IPL 2025 that he is adept at opening the threads of the ball. Former Australian captain and great batsman Ricky Ponting has also supported this young batsman to become Yashasvi's opening partner.
The Indian cricket team will take the field in the first Test of the five-match Test series against England on June 20. This is going to be a new phase for the Indian team under the leadership of new Test captain Shubman Gill.
After the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, there are going to be many big changes in the batting unit, in which many young faces will also be seen. However, after Rohit's retirement, the opening spot is a big question as to who will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Veteran batsman KL Rahul opened in four out of five Tests in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, in which runs also came from his bat. In such a situation, it is being speculated that now after Rohit Sharma's retirement, the management can field him as an opener. However, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has chosen Sai Sudharsan for this role. Ponting said that this is the right time to give this 23-year-old a chance to debut in the longest format. He believes that Rahul's experience will help the team in the middle order. Let us tell you that Sai Sudharsan has not made his Test debut for India. However, he has made his debut for India's white ball team. In IPL 2025, this explosive batsman scored a lot of runs and won the Orange Cap with 759 runs.
Speaking to the Indian Express, Ponting said, "I said this because if they go with (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and if Sai Sudharsan is the second opener, then they need another experienced player at number three. So KL can be at three or Karun Nair can be at three and Shubman can be at four... once you are set in this, you can take yourself back to number three." The veteran further said, "I think it is the right time for Sudharsan to come into the team, honestly. Now there are going to be some changes in the Indian team, obviously with Rohit and Virat not being there. Every team goes through this phase... I think Sudharsan is ready."
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