The highly-anticipated five-match Test series between India and England is all set to get underway on January 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Ahead of the series opener, the hosts have suffered a big blow as star batter Virat Kohli withdrew his name from the squad for the first two matches due to personal reasons.
While the BCCI is yet to announce Kohli’s replacement officially, multiple reports are claiming that Rajat Patidar has joined the Indian team in Hyderabad before the opening Test.
In a press conference, India head coach Rahul Dravid on Tuesday (January 23) confirmed that KL Rahul will play as a specialist batter and won’t perform keeping duties in the five-Test series. The Indian squad includes two specialist wicketkeepers - KS Bharat and Dhurv Jurel.
Taking all these decisions and other factors into consideration, here is the COC Predicted Team India playing XI for the first Test.
The duo of skipper Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are likely to open the innings. Despite his poor numbers, Shubman Gill is expected to bat at No. 3 with coach Dravid backing the youngster to soon find his feet in Test cricket.
In the absence of Kohli, Rahul is likely to bat at No. 4 followed by Shreyas Iyer. KS Bharat is the front-runner to don the keeping gloves, having recently slammed an unbeaten century for India ‘A’ against England Lions in a four-day match in Ahmedabad.
Considering the vulnerability of English batters against quality spin, India are likely to field three spinners in Hyderabad – Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Akshar Patel. All three are genuine all-rounders and have proved their worth with the bat time and again.
Coming to the fast-bowling department, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah is certain to spearhead the attack. Mohammed Siraj is likely to feature in the XI as a second pacer after doing well in the South Africa Test series.
COC Predicted Team India Playing XI for the opening Test:
Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Akshar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
