Veteran cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has picked India’s probable playing XI for the first Test against England. He hopes Shubman Gill to bat at No. 4, saying that it could be his long-term batting position in the longest format as well. However, India will tour England for a five-Test series, with the first match playing in Leeds on June 20. However, they will have a relatively inexperienced side, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin having retired from Tests.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’he said, “I am going with Yashasvi Jaiswal, with KL Rahul alongside him. One doesn’t have to think much. Both did well in the BGT as well. This will be Yashasvi’s first England tour. So I really hope that he does well. The last England tour was good for KL Rahul, but you cannot start the tour well and finish poorly.”
“At No. 3, it could be either Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal. Maybe Devdutt Padikkal is ahead in that race because he was seen playing recently in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and debuted in Dharamsala before that. Sai Sudharsan is slightly out of the box, but you feel he can play at No. 3 because of the excellent form he is in,” he again shared.
Aakash Chopra also reckoned that Shubman Gill would be named the captain and bat at No. 4 as well. While selecting Rishabh Pant as the wicketkeeper-batter at No. 5, the veteran also picked Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel for the No. 6 position as well.
“This means captain Shubman Gill will go to No. 4. Firstly, I am saying he will become the captain. That’s what the reports are suggesting. I see him going down the order. This is where he will settle down, as a No. 4 batter for India in Test matches. Rishabh Pant at No. 5, and I am thinking Nitish Kumar Reddy at No. 6. There are many contenders for this slot. Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel will be among the contenders, but I am going towards Nitish Kumar Reddy because he scored a hundred in Melbourne,” he added.
However, Aakash Chopra also stated that Ravindra Jadeja should be Team India’s first-choice spinner, although he acknowledged that Washington Sundar could play ahead of him as well.
“I am saying Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7. Since Ashwin is not there anymore, you should go with Ravindra Jadeja. He can play the defensive role at Leeds. The team might play Washington Sundar because there will be a lot of left-handers in the opposition, but I am putting Jadeja at No. 7. At No. 8, I am thinking either Shardul Thakur or Deepak Chahar. You will get depth in batting as well. Both will like those conditions. Basically they are bowlers who can bat a bit, but you are not compromising on the bowling,” Chopra stated again.
“Then Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammad Shami, if he is fit and available, or else I will think about Prasidh Krishna. There will be a question on whether you can think about Arshdeep Singh as a left-armer, and what about Akash Deep and Harshit Rana? All of them will be in the mix, but I see an XI like this,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
Aakash Chopra’s probable India XI for ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan/Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur/Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami/Prasidh Krishna
