IND vs ENG: India's strongest playing XI vs England for first two tests - Predicted

IND vs ENG test series will begin on January 25.

India have announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming five-match test series against England. The first test will be played at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on January 25. Four spinners have been inducted into India’s 16-member squad. Axar Patel, who was the chief architect in India’s victory in their last home series against England in 2021, is also part of the spin quartet.

Apart from the four spinners, three wicket-keepers, including KL Rahul, are also added to the squad. The Indian cricket team will likely be going in with KL Rahul in the first test and asses his performance in the rank turner at Hyderabad. Dhruv Jurel and KS Bharat are the other two wicket-keepers in the squad. Let’s have a look at the possible Indian playing XI for the first test against England in Hyderabad.

India likely playing XI vs England

1. Rohit Sharma (C)

Indian captain Rohit Sharma will be leading the side against England in the five-match test series. Rohit had a poor series with the bat against South Africa during Christmas and New Year. He will be looking to leave behind the disappointment of the Protea tour and will come-in fresh for the forthcoming series.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal

Left-handed batter Yashasvi Jaiswal also had a poor outing against South Africa. In a bowler’s friendly condition, young Jaiswal managed 50 runs in four innings. Jaiswal will be playing his first-ever test match in Indian conditions against England. The southpaw will accompany captain Rohit as an opener.

3. Shubman Gill

After shifting himself down to number three position, Shubman Gill has failed to play a big knock. The upcoming five-match test series will be a golden opportunity for Shubman Gill to repay the faith shown on him by the team management as a long-time replacement for Cheteshwar Pujara. Gill started as an opener last year in West Indies, where he reportedly asked to bat in the number three spot. Since then, he has batted at that particular position in eight innings and scored only 166 runs.

4. Virat Kohli

India’s number four position is fixed with Virat Kohli. He has been India’s most prolific run-scorer and has scored bulk of runs. Kohli will look to cease the opportunity against England and go close to Sachin Tendulkar’s century record. In his last 28 test matches against England, Kohli has scored 1991 runs at an average of 42.36 so far.

5. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer made his test debut against New Zealand on Indian soil in 2021. Iyer will be looking to play a few big knocks for India in the upcoming five-match test series against England. He has cemented his position at number five in the batting-order. However, Iyer scored only 41 runs in four innings against South Africa and will look to get his touch back quickly.

6. KL Rahul (WK)

From opening to middle-order to now a wicket-keeper in test cricket, KL Rahul has seen many changes in his cricket career. KL Rahul’s first assignment as a wicket-keeper in test cricket was against South Africa in the recently concluded series. Rahul will have a big challenge ahead as India are likely to play all five-test matches against England on rank turners.

7. Ravindra Jadeja

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will be taking on the responsibility of batting at number seven as well as leading the spin bowling department along with Axar Patel and Ravi Ashwin. Jadeja played a key part in India’s previous test series against England in 2021. He is just 25 wickets away from reaching the 300-test wicket milestone, and will be looking to complete the feat in the upcoming series.

8. Axar Patel

Axar Patel was the chief architect in India’s triumph over England in their previous test series in 2021. He picked a record 27 wickets in just three test matches, which included four five-wicket hauls. Axar Patel has remained a consistent performer for India on rank turners. He is likely to be India’s third spinner in the series.

9. Ravi Ashwin

Off-spinner Ravi Ashwin is just 10 wickets away from a record milestone. Ashwin has 490 wickets in 95 test matches. He will be aiming to become the ninth bowler to pick 500 or more test wickets. Ashwin is India’s biggest match winner in test cricket. However, he took only one wicket against South Africa in the Centurion test matches.

10. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah will spearhead India’s pace attack against England in the upcoming test series. Bumrah picked up a six-wicket haul against South Africa in the Cape Town test. He has so far taken 140 wickets in 32 matches for India in test cricket. On Indian soil, Bumrah has played four test matches and picked up 14 wickets.

11. Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj was India’s hero in the Cape Town test win. His opening spell of 6/15 rattled the South African batting-order for just 55 all-out in the first innings. Siraj is yet to shine on Indian pitches as he has played six test matches and picked up only seven wickets. He will be looking to better these numbers on home soil.

(All stats updated till January 14, 2024)

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