3 possible opening pairs for India in England vs India Test series 2025

One of the most pressing questions faced by India as their highly-anticipated series against England nears is the composition of their opening slot. The decision of Rohit Sharma to retire from the longest format makes this particular topic a matter demanding even more urgency. 

The 18-member squad for the five-match series against England in the UK was released today by the Board of Control for Cricket in India via a press conference. Apart from the regular members who were anyway expected to feature, there have been some prominent inclusions to the squad.

3 possible opening pairs for India in England-India Test series 2025

3. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan

Yashasvi Jaiswal is only 19 Tests old. However, he has established himself as one of the most promising candidates with the bat. This will be Jaiswal's first gig with the red ball in England. With 1,798 runs to his name at an average of 52.88, the southpaw will take immense confidence going into the series.   

Sai Sudharsan could be one potential partner to Jaiswal and his temperament and flair could be likened to him. Sudharsan also has stints of county cricket with Surrey to back his place in the XI. Although a completely different format, his technical prowess was clearly evident during the ongoing edition of the IPL.

Also Check: ENG vs IND 2025: 3 players who deserved a spot in India’s Test squad

2. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal

Shubman Gill has been named as the successor of Rohit. 29 out of his 59 Test innings have come while opening the batting. He has done decently while opening, averaging 32.37 with four fifties and two hundreds to his name. He would be more than willing to partner alongside Jaiswal to provide experience at the top of the order.

Jaiswal, being a left-handed batter, would be ideal to partner along with Gill. By now, they have played alongside each other for a good amount of games. Jaiswal's composure would be expected to be a crucial foil for Gill, who tends to thrive if supported by the batter at the other end.

Also Check: India’s Test squad for England tour 2025 announced: Full team, captain, new players & omissions

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul

Jaiswal and Rahul have prior experience of opening the batting together. They did so in the series opener of the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It was a truly remarkable display from the two. Jaiswal and Rahul negated the potency of the new ball to forge together a record stand.

The 201-run stand in Perth was the highest by India in their Test cricket history. Rahul has previously demonstrated his ability to serve as a floater across formats. The Karnataka lad could act as the perfect backup if the aforementioned couple of combinations don't click due to any reason.