'Abhimanyu Easwaran at no. 3, no place for Shardul Thakur': Ex-India coach predicts India's playing XI vs England
India bowler Shardul Thakur (Photo by)
NEW DELHI: As Team India gears up for their challenging five-Test series against England, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has weighed in with his predicted playing XI, and it's raised a few eyebrows.
Most notably, Bangar sees no place for seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, preferring rising star Nitish Kumar Reddy instead.
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"My team is Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul,
Abhimanyu Easwaran
at No. 3, Shubman Gill at No. 4, Rishabh Pant at No. 5, Karun Nair at No. 6, Nitish Kumar Reddy at No. 7, Kuldeep Yadav at No. 8, and then three seamers: Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah," Bangar told JioHotstar.
He also clarified his reasoning for picking Nitish Reddy: "I see Nitish as a batter who can bowl. I can't see him as a bowler who can bat. However, Nitish starts in my team ahead of Shardul. Shardul doesn't play in my first XI. Nitish Reddy will play first."
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India arrived in England on June 7 and immediately began rigorous training ahead of the first Test at Headingley, which begins June 20. The series marks the beginning of the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship cycle and also symbolises a new chapter for Indian cricket following the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket.
'Nitish Kumar is a guy who can bowl that magic ball': India bowling coach Morne Morkel
Under Shubman Gill's captaincy and with Rishabh Pant returning as vice-captain and wicketkeeper, India is looking to win their first Test series in England since 2007. The squad includes both seasoned names and fresh faces, with high hopes pinned on players like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karun Nair to stabilise the middle order.
With tough conditions awaiting in English venues like Lord's, Edgbaston, and Old Trafford, India's team selection will be under close scrutiny — and Bangar's predicted XI already gives a glimpse of the possible transition ahead.
India Squad:
Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
England Squad:
Ben Stokes (C), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
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