Former Team India all-rounder Suresh Raina has picked his playing XI for the first Test of the upcoming five-match series against England. The former cricketer praised newly appointed skipper Shubman Gill and snubbed players like Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, and Kuldeep Yadav in his XI.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed an 18-player squad for the upcoming Test series against England on Saturday. This series will mark the start of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle for both teams. Notably, India are currently undergoing a phase of transition.
In a video shared by Suresh Raina on Instagram, Suresh Raina said that Gill is a talented player and a strong on-field leader. He said that Gill has showed impressive performance in the IPL 2025.
Shubman Gill has been named the new captain of India’s Test cricket team. Rishabh Pant will serve as his deputy. Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh received their maiden call-ups. Karun Nair returned to the team following an impressive Ranji Trophy season in 2024/25.
India are aiming to secure their first Test series victory in England since 2007. During their previous tour, they had a strong chance of clinching the series but ended up with a 2-2 draw after England won the rescheduled final Test in 2022.
There are concerns about Gill's performance in overseas Tests, especially in England. He has a career average of 35.05 from 32 matches, but his average drops to 14.67 in three Tests played in England.
Suresh Raina Picks India’s Playing XI for Series Opener Against England
Suresh Raina named Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal as openers, with debutant Sai Sudharsan batting at number three. H
e placed KL Rahul and Karun Nair at four and five, respectively. Raina added that Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja should bat at six and seven.
"They (KL Rahul and Karun Nair) are solid in that. Technique-wise, they are solid. They have heaps of experience to assess the conditions and the situation. Both are players with different temperaments. Karun has scored a lot of runs. He scored a triple hundred in Chennai. So, I think he will be important. Then you can play Rishabh Pant at number 6 and Ravindra Jadeja at number 7," Raina said.
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It Won't Be That Easy for England - Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina believes England will face a tough challenge against the revamped Test side. He said that Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant will bring fresh energy to the squad.
"It won't be that easy for England. It's a new team. I'm sure there will be a lot of expectations. But I think giving the captaincy to Shubman Gill and making Rishabh Pant the vice-captain will bring a lot of energy around him. He will look like a different character."
Suresh Raina's Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
Also read: Ayush Mhatre becomes CSK's greatest-ever batsman in this IPL category
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