India's Test Squad For England Tour: Likely Ins And Outs For 5-Match Series

Media reports have speculated that KL Rahul has been informally informed by head coach Gautam Gambhir that he will open for India with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill will occupy Kohli’s no. 4 batting position, and we could have Sai Sudharsan or Karun Nair at no. 3. As per a Cricbuzz report, Sudharsan and Nair are likely to be included in the squad for their performance in the IPL and in domestic cricket. Nair bagged over 850 runs in nine Ranji Trophy matches and close to 800 runs at the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The main suspense is over the captaincy. Since Rohit’s Test retirement, there has been no official update on who will succeed him. Senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah is a contender, but his recurring injury issues don’t make him a favourite. Meanwhile, Gill is reportedly the frontrunner, and Pant is a choice for vice-captaincy. Surprisingly, Rahul is reportedly not seen as captain, due to his age.

Bumrah was the vice-captain during the Australia tour and, logically, should be named as captain. Meanwhile, Pant’s disastrous IPL captaincy puts him out of contention totally, atleast for the captaincy role.