The first two Tests between India and England will be played in Chennai.
The excitement about the upcoming four-Test series between India and England is building up day by day since this will be India’s first-ever international fixture at home ever since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, as well as, Joe Root and his team’s first tour after their 4-0 whitewash in 2016-17.
With the first Test of the four-Test series starting from February 5 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, former Indian cricketer and cricket expert Aakash Chopra has tried to add some buzz among the fans by revealing his best possible Team India playing XI for the Chennai Test.
He has picked Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as his openers as the youngster has impressed all with his game on his maiden Test tour of Australia and can do even better in home conditions while the right-hander has lately good record on home turfs, so he decided to keep the openers for the Chennai Test.
Further, Chopra went with Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane for nos. 3, 4, and 5 respectively, followed by Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Washington Sundar to fill his middle and lower order for the opening Test against England.
Coming to the pace department, Chopra showed faith in seasonal speedster Jasprit Bumrah and senior fast-bowler, Ishant Sharma while picking the chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav as the third spinner alongside veteran off-spinner Ashwin and youngster Sundar for the Chennai Test.
As reported by Times Now, Chopra said: “In the playing XI, you can play the same five batsmen – Gill, Rohit, Pujara, Kohli, Rahane. You can keep Rishabh Pant at No.6 and Washington Sundar at No.7, with Ravichandran Ashwin at No.8. So you have batting till No.8.”
He further added, “According to me, he (Kuldeep Yadav) will play because Ravindra Jadeja is not there, and you will play at least two spinners in India. At this point, I feel you can play three.”
Noteworthy, he surprisingly left out Mohammed Siraj who exceptionally did well on the Australia tour and Hardik Pandya from the playing XI for the first Test against England.
Here’s Aakash Chopra's Playing XI for India:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (WK), Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah