Predicted Team India playing XI for the first Test against England

The two cricket heavyweights are all set to square off each other in the five-match Test series in what will be the first series of the second edition of the World Test Championship . The first Test match kick starts on August 4 at Trent Bridge followed by the second Test at Lord’s on August 12. The third Test is scheduled to be held at Headingley from August 25 while the fourth Test starts on September 2 at the Oval. The fifth and final Test will be played at Old Trafford from September 10.

India vs England series 2021: Team India’s likely XI for the first Test against England

Rohit Sharma 

There’s no doubt that Rohit Sharma will open the innings for India in the first Test against England. The Hitman over the year has been one of the main batsman for his country in all the three formats of the game but many still feel that needs to prove his prowess in overseas conditions in the longest format of the game.

Ever since started opening in Test cricket he has looked a completely different batsman and looked good in the two Tests he played Down Under. In the recently concluded ICC WTC final, the swashbuckling batsman was the only Indian player to score 30+ runs in both innings and made sure that his team avoid a shaky start in the final.

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Team India would be dependent on Rohit Sharma to give solid starts at the top in the upcoming five-Test series against England as his experience will be extremely useful in the middle to tackle the likes of James Anderson & Stuart Broad with the new ball.

Mayank Agarwal 

Shubman Gill’s injury has opened the door for Mayank Agarwal. With the former being ruled out due to injury it is almost certain that Karnataka batsman will open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma in the first match of the five-Test series against England.

The right-handed batsman after setting the stage on fire in the home Test series against South Africa and Bangladesh has seen a drastic change in his career in the last few months as, during Indian triumph in Australia, the right-handed batsman did not feature in all four matches and then warmed the bench during the home Test series against England and didn’t feature in the playing XI of the WTC final against New Zealand.

The Karnataka opener has a great opportunity to earn his place back at the top of the order if he delivers in the upcoming Test matches. In his 14-match Test career, the Punjab Kings batsman averages a healthy 45.74.

Cheteshwar Pujara 

Even though Cheteshwar Pujara received some flak for his failure against New Zealand in the final of ICC World Test Championship but India’s No.3 in Test cricket is likely to start in the upcoming Test series against England.

Cheteshwar Pujara over the years has been India’s most dependable batsman in Test cricket. The right-handed batsman was one of the main architects behind the team’s triumph in Australia down under during the tour of 2018/19 and 2020/21.

Pujara however, has been at the receiving end of the criticism for not scoring a century since 2019, but the 33-year-old has scored various 50+ scores and has soaked in the pressure many times, which has allowed other batsmen to take calculated risks and win matches for their team.

Virat Kohli (c) 

It is a no-brainer pick for Team India’s No.4 in the upcoming Test series against England. The Indian skipper Virat Kohli has been one of the world’s most versatile and creative batsmen the world has ever witnessed. The 32-year-old is breaking numerous records along the way and is the leading batsman in all three formats of the game and is also the best Test captain India has ever produced.

Virat Kohli is also one of the finest leaders going around. Under his captaincy current Team India is one of the fittest in the world and the fearless attitude of the players has helped the team reach new heights in world cricket.  Although he might not have been able to win an ICC trophy as a leader, has an excellent win ratio and has instilled intent in the team. Irrespective of the result the team’s approach remains the same.

His records speak for himself as he has amassed 7547 runs at an average just above 52 with 27 hundreds. The Indian skipper was at his best when his side toured England during 2018 as he scored 593 runs from 10 innings at an average of 59.30 to go with two centuries. He will hold the key for India’s middle order when they take on England in the much-awaited Test series.

Ajinkya Rahane (VC)

India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane ended as the highest run-scorer for Virat Kohli-led side in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) with 1159 runs from 18 Tests at 42.92 with 3 centuries and 6 half-centuries.

Time and time again Rahane has proved his mettle and was the main architect of India’s famous win in Melbourne after a humiliating loss in Adelaide and successfully led the team in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli.

Being Test-specialist and one of the key players to India’s middle-order over the years Ajinkya Rahane is expected to bat at No.5 in the five-Test series against England. The right-handed batsman has notched up 4,647 at an average of 41.12 in the 74 Test matches he has played.

Rishabh Pant (WK) 

Rishabh Pant over the last few months have been one of the mainstays of the Indian batting line-up. The 23-years-old was one of the main reasons behind India’s triumph over Australia down under in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and then later dominated England across all formats at home and was one of the main reasons why Team India played the final of the WTC.

The wicket-keeper batsman, however, was under the firing line for his wicket-keeping skills and there were lots of talks about whether he should be donning the gloves for Team India, particularly with someone like Wriddhiman Saha on the bench. The southpaw now has improved considerably and has become one of the most reliable players in the Indian set up.

Being India’s leading run-scorer across the formats this year, Rishabh Pant is almost certain to bat at No.6 for India in the five-Test series against England.

R Ashwin 

R Ashwin is arguably one of the best spinners India have ever produced. The off-spinner was also the highest wicket-taker in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) with 71 wickets in 14 matches. He was the joint highest wicket-taker for India in the summit clash with 4 wickets even in swing-friendly conditions.

The 34-year-old is also fourth in the list of India’s leading wicket-takers with 413 wickets behind Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434), and Harbhajan Singh (417) and is also the second-faster bowler in Tests to breach the 400-wicket milestone.

R Ashwin has an outstanding record against the left-handers, and he is the only spinner in the history of the game to dismiss 200 left-handed batsmen and with England having multiple left-handed batsmen on their side, Ashwin would be vital to Team India’s chances and with his ability to bat down the order, the veteran off-spinner will be crucial for Virat Kohli-led side in the upcoming series against England.

Shardul Thakur 

Shardul Thakur might be a surprise pick for India in the first match of the five-Test series against England. With conditions favouring swing bowlers and Indian pacers struggling to find swing against New Zealand in the final of the ICC World Test Championship, Thakur in the playing XI can be a valuable asset for Virat Kohli-led side.

In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur can play as a fast-bowling all-rounder as he is a proper swing bowler who can swing with the new as well as the old ball & can bat lower down the order as well.

The Mumbaikar has scored 67 runs & taken 7 wickets in the only Test match that he has played in Australia. He however got injured in his debut match while bowling his 1st over.

Mohammad Shami 

Pick of the bowlers for India in the final of the ICC World Test Championship final, Mohammad Shami is a sure shot for the first Test against England. The right-handed pacer finished as the second-highest wicket-taker for Virat Kohli-led side in WTC with 40 wickets in 11 matches to his name.

Mohammad Shami has been one of the prolific pacers for India over the past few years. With his ability to seam the new ball as well as reverse swing the old ball he will hold the key of Team India in the upcoming Test series against England.

The pacer has represented India in 51 Test matches and has taken 184 wickets at an average of 27.57.

Ishant Sharma 

Being the only pacer to play 100+ Test matches for India, Ishant Sharma’s experience will be handy for Virat Kohli-led side for the upcoming five-Test series against England.

The lanky pacer is the highest wicket-taker for India in England with 43 wickets to his name and was also the highest wicket-taker for India against England in the 2018 test series taking 18 wickets in 5 matches.

In the 102 matches, Ishant Sharma has played for India, the right-arm seamer has scalped 306 wickets at an average of 32.19 to go with 11 five-wicket hauls.

Jasprit Bumrah 

Despite going wicketless in the ICC Test Championship final 2021, Jasprit Bumrah is likely to start the series against England. The pacer over the years has evolved into one of the finest fast bowlers India has produced in recent times.

The pacer has cemented his place in the national setup and is skipper Virat Kohli’s go-to bowler in all formats of the game. Ever since making his debut in 2016, the Indian pace sensation has become a match-winner for captain Virat Kohli and has evolved into one of the bowlers currently on the scene who can become one of the greatest of all-time barring fitness issues.

Jasprit Bumrah could be vital to India’s chances against England. The Mumbai Indians pacer has scalped 83 wickets for India in 20 Test matches. His tally of 83 wickets includes five 5-wicket-haul.

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India vs England tour: What happened when India last toured England for the Test series? 

Team India had a forgettable Test series when they last toured England in 2018. The Virat Kohli-led side was at the receiving end of the 4-0 drubbing. Apart from the skipper, no other Indian batsman was able to make an impact. Although KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant scored magnificent centuries in the last Test it came at a time when it didn’t matter the most.

With five-Test series between England and India scheduled to take place next week, the Virat Kohli-led side would be eyeing to beat England in home conditions and register their first Test series win since 2007 in the UK.