Ravi Shastri's India XI vs England: Sudharsan at No. 3, KL-Jaiswal opening duo, Nair returns in post Kohli-Rohit era
Former India coach Ravi Shastri sees Sai Sudharsan in the playing XI and wants him to bat at No. 3 as Team India embarks on a new era. The five-match Test series against England will mark a fresh chapter for the side, with Shubman Gill leading as captain following the Test retirements of batting greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
This series will also be India's first assignment in the new World Test Championship cycle. India reached the finals of both the 2019-21 and 2021-23 WTC cycles but fell short on both occasions.
'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,' Shastri said on the ICC Review.
'He 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.
'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,' said Shastri.
The top three are joined by the new Test skipper at No.4 in Shastri's side, with the 25-year-old Gill taking on the role 32 matches into his red-ball international career.
In the middle order, 'In all probability, depending on what current form is, it'll be Karun Nair. He bats at five, it's a long time since he played for India. Six will be (Rishabh) Pant,' he said.
'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. 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,' he added.
Speaking of the bowling attack, Shastri is inclined towards Shardul Thakur, who scored a century in the intra-squad match. 'I would go with three fast bowlers, (plus) Shardul Thakur. I know it'll be a tough one between Shardul 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,' said Shastri.
'And the three fast bowlers would be, I would go with Prasid 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 Ashdeep Singh as well. So it will be Prasid Krishna/Ashdeep but the other two will be Siraj and Bumrah,' he said.
The first Test between England and India will be played in Leeds starting from June 20.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
28 minutes ago
- India Today
Bethell vs Pope for No.3: Rob Key feels Headingley call won't define careers
England's managing director of men's cricket, Rob Key, doesn't feel that the careers of Jacob Bethell and OIlie Pope will be defined by the selection for the Headingley Test against India, starting from June 20. Bethell and Pope are in a direct battle for the No.3 spot for the first Test. Pope recently scored 171 in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, while Bethell impressed everyone with three fifties during the tour of New Zealand. advertisementKey, however, doesn't see the competition as a problem for the England team management and feels it is a win-win situation for the team. The England managing director feels that it would have been an issue if they didn't have good options to fill in the slot. "I don't see it as a problem, really," Key told the Telegraph's cricket podcast. "You win either way, really. You've got two brilliant players that can do that role. Ollie Pope's been fantastic in that tough spot; he played brilliantly in New Zealand alright, he was in a different role, but we've got two brilliant options in those spots." "A tough decision is when you've got no options, and you've got to just then try and find something from nowhere. That's when I'm sort of scratching my head. This one is: 'Which really good player are we going to pick?' It's a good position to be in."'Watching Bethell's development has been extraordinary'advertisementKey said he also had no regrets about having Bethell stay in India to play in the IPL, instead of playing the one-off Test against Zimbabwe. Key feels that England will reap the rewards of Bethell's stay in India in the future. "I don't think [that] the careers of Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell are defined by what happens this week, or whether he came back to play the Zimbabwe Test. He may not have played that Test match," Key said. "Watching his development has been extraordinary, and him going out there and playing in the IPL, I think was brilliant for him. We'll get the return on that in the future."Must Watch
India.com
28 minutes ago
- India.com
Rishabh Pant confirms this star cricketer will replace Virat Kohli ahead of England series, not Karun Nair or Sai Sudharsan, his name is...
Rishabh Pant at Press Conference. (PIC - X) New Delhi: The wait is about to end. The 5 test match series between India and England will start from Friday, June 20. The first match of the series will be played at Headingley ground in Leeds. Before this match, Indian test team's vice-captain Rishabh Pant came for a press conference. In the press conference, the wicketkeeper batsman made it clear who will bat at number 4 in place of Virat Kohli. Not only this, he told about his batting position and also talked about the plane crash incident in Ahmedabad. After Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket, questions started arising as to who will bat at number 4 now. In such a situation, Pant told that captain Shubman Gill will come to bat at number 4. Pant will be seen playing at number 5. It is not yet clear who will bat at number 3. 'There are still discussions going on about who will bat at number three. Shubman will bat at number four. I will continue to bat at number five as of now,' said Pant while addressing the media. Regarding the Ahmedabad incident, the wicketkeeper batsman said, 'The whole country is disappointed, all we can do is try our best and make the country happy.' India has three options to choose from at number 3. These include Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan. Easwaran went to Australia with the Indian team. Karun Nair scored a brilliant double century against England Lions earlier this month. On the other hand, Sudarshan does not have enough experience. The team management can take a decision only after assessing the conditions on the match day. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul can open in the Test series. Both opened in the second unofficial Test against England Lions. During this, Rahul scored a century. Jaiswal was the highest run-scorer among Indian batsmen in the last World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. He also showed passion in the practice match. Now a good performance will be expected from him in the Test series.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
31 minutes ago
- First Post
'Nobody is higher than the game itself': Ashwin reminds fans after Virat Kohli projected as Test saviour
Veteran spinner R Ashwin has said no player, including Virat Kohli, is bigger than the game of cricket. His comment comes after Kohli was hailed as the ambassador and saviour of Test cricket following his retirement from longest format. read more Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has made a powerful statement about Virat Kohli's role in Test cricket, saying that no player is ever bigger than the game. Kohli was being projected as Test cricket's saviour by a section of fans and experts following his retirement from the longest format last month. Ashwin speaks on Kohli's influence In a recent chat with RevSportz, Ashwin was asked about Kohli being referred to as an 'ambassador' of Test cricket. Ashwin reminded fans that no player who has played the game or will play the game is higher than the game itself, not even Kohli. Ashwin said that Kohli, like everybody else, played the game and left it in a great place, and it is now for future generations to take it forward. 'I do not think anybody who has played the game, or will play the game, is higher than the game itself. Nobody that walks the park does good for the game – the game does good or bad by them. I love Virat, but he has come, played the game, left the game, left it at a great place. And now, it is for someone else to take it forward,' Ashwin said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kohli was praised for his passion, aggression, and fitness culture during his time as India's Test captain. Many fans and experts believed that he gave Test cricket a new energy, especially at a time when limited-overs formats were gaining more popularity. His leadership style and love for the red-ball game earned him admiration worldwide. Even after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru earlier this month, Kohli talked about his love and respect for Test cricket. He said that winning his maiden IPL title will always be five levels below Test cricket. His comments received a lot of praise from Test cricket fans across the globe. However, Ashwin suggested that Test cricket has survived for over a hundred years and will continue to thrive with or without any one player. Ashwin is not wrong in saying that, but what Kohli has done for the game is also commendable. Apart from Kohli, former captain Rohit Sharma also stepped down from Test cricket recently. India are slated to play their first Test series without the services of Ashwin, Kohli, or Rohit against England, starting 20 June. The first match is scheduled to take place at Headingley, Leeds.
