After a historic series win in Australia, Team India will now shift its focus to the home series against England. It has been more than a year since Team India last played a Test match at home. Starting February 5th, the squad will take on the English Team in a four-match series.
The first two games will take place in Chennai. The selectors have already announced the squad for these two matches. Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, and Hanuma Vihari are still recovering from injuries and will not be available for the first two encounters. The likes of Navdeep Saini and Prithvi Shaw have been dropped from the team.
It will be a tough selection meeting for the management and the captain, but, here we are, predicting the XI that could take the field for the opener.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill
With this opening partnership having clicked in Australia, they are sure to get an extended rope in India. Rohit Sharma is an absolute beast on Indian wickets and could be the player to watch out for. Shubman Gill is in sensational form, and for him to strengthen a place in the XI, a good outing is a must. There is also an adequate backup for these two positions in the squad. While Mayank Agarwal is an obvious candidate, Team India could also use KL Rahul if necessary. However, at least for the first two games, it will be Rohit and Gill taking the responsibility.
Middle-Order: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant (WK)
Virat Kohli returns to the team, and that will be a massive boost to the middle-order. At No.4, he is one of the best on the planet, and his return will take some pressure off Ajinkya and Pujara. The way these three go about their business could well define the direction of the series. A big one is needed for either of these three in almost every encounter.
Rishabh Pant is absolutely undroppable at the moment. Team India is finally realizing the importance of the batsman in Pant for the five-day games. His keeping could be a vulnerable aspect, but Team India would definitely take the risk of having him keep to the spinners on the Indian pitches.
All-Rounders: Washington Sundar
It is Chennai, and here is where he has played cricket all his life. Washington Sundar would be a certain starter in this squad, considering Ravindra Jadeja is unavailable. However, there could be chances of Axar Patel taking Sundar’s place. Sundar’s attributes with the ball are similar to that of Ashwin, and that might deny the team of variety in the bowling unit. That said, Sundar has proved himself in Australia and will make a strong case to play the game against England.
Bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Siraj
Two spinners, apart from the all-rounder, are a must on Indian pitches. While Ravichandran Ashwin is an automatic pick, Kuldeep Yadav could get his chance in India. He has done well previously and is definitely a different type of bowler compared to the others. This duo must be at their best for India to win the game.
Ishant Sharma returns for this series and will be included for the first encounter. Regarding the second pick, we feel Jasprit Bumrah could get rest for the first game. If that happens, Siraj would come into the picture. It is here that Team India will have to make a tough call in leaving out one bowler.
