Veteran India cricket team batter Ajinkya Rahane has left out Karun Nair from his playing XI for the 1st Test against England. The Vidarbha batter has returned to the red-ball setup after a gap of over seven years. The 1st Test in Leeds on Friday will mark the start of the fresh World Test Championship cycle for Shubman Gill and co.
Rahane’s playing XI for 1st Test
Yashasvi JaiswalKL RahulSai SudharsanShubman Gill (C)Dhruv JurelRishabh Pant (WK)Ravindra JadejaShardul ThakurMohammed SirajJasprit BumrahArshdeep Singh
Rahane picked Jaiswal and Rahul as his openers. The veteran opted for an in-form Sai Sudharsan at number three. The Tamil Nadu batter has been in prolific form off late and finished as the highest run-getter in IPL 2025 which earned him his maiden Test call-up.
As confirmed by vice-captain Pant, Rahane retained captian Gill at number 4. Commenting on the Punjab batter’s new responsibility as the Test captain, the veteran noted that it would be a challenging task for him. Rahane explained that leading the team in Tests was different from ODIs and T20s and that the captain had to be two steps ahead, proactive.
“I think it’s going to be a challenging task for Shubman because in Test cricket I always believe you have to be proactive as a captain. I’m sure Shubman will do well, but it will take time because captaining in T20s and ODIs is completely different. In the Test format, sometimes you have to stay one or two steps ahead of your opponents, talk to your bowlers, and plan things with them. So, it’s going to be a challenging task for him, but I’m sure he will do well as both a skipper and a batter,” Rahane explained.
Rahane also opted to play both Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel in the playing XI. The latter has been extremenly consistent with the bat, starting from the IPL 2025 to the India A series against England Lions.
Shardul Thakur and Jadeja are the two all-rounders in his playing XI. In the pace-department, Rahane picked Bumrah, Siraj and Arshdeep Singh.
Sai Sudharsan & Dhruv Jurel in, no Karun Nair: Veteran’s XI for 1st England Test Inside Sport India.
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