Ravi Ashwin picks India XI for first test against England; Drops Nitish Reddy for Shardul Thakur

Ravi Ashwin added Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair in his India XI for first test.

India and England will lock horns in the first test at Headingley in Leeds from Friday, June 20. Both sides will play five matches during India’s tour of England 2025, which will conclude with the final clash at The Oval, which begins from July 31.

Shubman Gill has the reins of India following the retirement of legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from test cricket last month. Moreover, India will also miss the services of ace spinner Ravi Ashwin, who was part of India’s last test series, Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, against Australia Down Under. Ashwin retired from international cricket in December 2024 during the BGT 2024-25.

Ahead of the first test between England and India at Headingley, Ashwin picked his playing XI for India on his YouTube channel. The former Indian spinner picked a right-left combination of openers with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. He chose Sai Sudharsan at No. 3 slot in his team, followed by Gill at the crucial number four spot.

Interestingly, Ashwin went ahead with Shardul Thakur in his playing XI over Nitish Reddy for the seam bowling all-rounder’s slot. Reddy slammed a century in India’s last test series against Australia. In the pace department, he went ahead with Prasidh Krishna to join senior pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Ravi Ashwin’s India playing XI for first test

Ashwin’s India XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

The 38-year-old cricketer also feels that Dhruv Jurel can be picked instead of Nair at No. 6 with Pant moving up to No.5.

“For No.6 it could be either Karun Nair or Dhruv Jurel. You cannot ignore Karun’s form, but I think there is a chance that Jurel comes into the mix. When Bumrah broke down in Australia, we did not have bowling options. So at No.8 do you play Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, or another frontline pacer?,” Ashwin said in the video.

Meanwhile, England have named their playing XI for the first test at Headingley. Notably, the hosts are short of key pacers Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Gus Atkinson in the opening game due to injuries.

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