Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has backed young batter Sai Sudharsan to make his Test debut in the first match against England. He suggested that Sudharsan should bat at No. 3, while Karun Nair, who has been in excellent form in recent first-class cricket, should be included at No. 5. The first Test will begin on 20 June at Headingley, Leeds, and it will also mark Shubman Gill’s debut as Test captain.
Speaking on the ICC Review, Shastri said, “I would go with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul as openers. Rahul scored a century in the previous series in England and is the most experienced batter in the side. Sai Sudharsan should be given the opportunity at No. 3. From what I’ve seen of him, I’m quite impressed. This will be a great experience for him.”
The 23-year-old Sudharsan recently became the youngest and fastest batter to reach 700 runs in the IPL. According to Shastri, Shubman Gill should bat at No. 4, Karun Nair at No. 5, and Rishabh Pant at No. 6.
Karun Nair has delivered strong performances in first-class cricket. Shastri revealed, “I told him during the IPL – don’t just knock on the door, break it down and walk in. And he’s done just that.”
Shastri also suggested playing three fast bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and either Prasidh Krishna or Arshdeep Singh, depending on the conditions. For the all-rounder slot, he recommended choosing between Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy based on who can bowl more overs.
England squad for the first Test vs India: Ben Stokes (captain), 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
India’s 18-member squad for the England tour: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain/wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Karun Nair, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav