With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retiring from Test cricket, India enters a new era under the leadership of the 25-year-old Shubman Gill as he leads an 18-member Indian squad into a challenging first assignment, a five-match away series against World No.2-ranked England, marking the start of a new World Test Championship cycle.
Weighing in on how India could shape up for the first Test against England at Leeds, starting June 20, former head coach Ravi Shastri backed a left-right combination at the top of the order, while throwing his weight behind KL Rahul’s promotion to open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Speaking on The ICC Review, Shastri also offered a detailed breakdown of his preferred XI for the first match.
“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, backing Rahul’s previous experience on English soil.
“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.”
For the crucial No. 3 slot, Shastri backed the uncapped Sai Sudharsan. “Three, I’ll go with the youngster, Sai Sudarshan. Whatever I’ve seen of him, he’s very impressive. This will be a good exposure for him, this tour.”
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. Gill was considered unlucky to lose his place in India’s XI during the series defeat in Australia, though he returned at No. 3 when Sharma was not selected for the final Test in Sydney, filling the hole left by Rahul, who moved up to open.
Below the captain in the first Test of the upcoming series, Shastri admits it might be a call based on form heading into the Headingley assignment, but believes in Karun Nair, who also has experience in county cricket, and earned a long-awaited recall.
“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.
Crediting Nair’s domestic consistency and hunger, Shastri added, “I think he 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.”
Shastri also laid out his preferred bowling combination, with Ravindra Jadeja, the first-choice spinner, at No. 7 and a debate over the seam-bowling all-rounder role.
“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.”
On the pace trio, Shastri opted for experience and form: “The three fast bowlers would be, I would go with Prasidh Krishna, I would go with Mohammed Siraj, and of course, Jasprit Bumrah.”
However, he acknowledged the potential for conditions to influence selections: “In Leeds, if it’s overcast and cloudy, there might be the temptation to go with the left-armer Arshdeep Singh as well. So it will be Prasidh Krishna/Arshdeep, but the other two will be Siraj and Bumrah.”