Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has selected his playing XI for India’s first Test against England. The Indian team is set to face England in a five-match Test series, with the opening match starting on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds.
Last month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the series.Karun Nair, Shubman Gill was named the new Test captain, while Rishabh Pant was appointed as the vice-captain.
In his chosen XI, Chopra picked KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal as the opening batsmen. This comes after one opening spot was vacated due to Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket. Karun Nair, Additionally, Chopra positioned debutant Sai Sudharsan at number three and Shubman Gill at the important number four spot.
Aakash Chopra Leaves Out Karun Nair From India’s Playing XI for the First Test
Interestingly, Aakash Chopra has excluded Karun Nair and Washington Sundar from his selected team. Sundar had contributed with both bat and ball in recent series, while Karun Nair, who returned to the Test squad after eight years, recently scored a double century for India A in the first unofficial Test against England Lions.
Karun Nair: In the fast bowling department, Chopra chose experienced pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. However, he overlooked Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, instead selecting Prasidh Krishna as the third pacer. Nitish Reddy, who scored a century in the previous Test series against Australia, also secured a spot alongside Shardul Thakur, who has made a comeback to the squad.
Aakash Chopra’s India XI for the first Test against England: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Meanwhile, England has announced their squad for the first Test, with Ben Stokes named captain. This series will mark the beginning of both teams’ campaigns in the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.