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.
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“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.