Aakash Chopra picks probable India XI for first England Test, slots Shubman Gill at number four

The England vs India Test series is slightly more than a month away. The squads for the five-match series are yet to be announced by both sides. Meanwhile, former India cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has shared his opinion on who will most likely make the squad and who will be part of the playing XI for the first Test.

It will be a fairly inexperienced squad with the retirement of senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Chopra, on his YouTube channel, started with the top order, where he mentioned that Shubman Gill might be pushed to the number four position in the team and has backed the likes of Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal at the number three position. One of the most surprising picks by Chopra was choosing all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of talented in-form batters Sarfaraz Khan, Karun Nair, and Dhruv Jurel.

“I am going with Yashasvi Jaiswal, with KL Rahul alongside him. One doesn't have to think much. Both did well in the BGT as well. This will be Yashasvi's first England tour. So I really hope that he does well. The last England tour was good for KL Rahul, but you cannot start the tour well and finish poorly. At No. 3, it could be either Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal. Maybe Devdutt Padikkal is ahead in that race because he was seen playing recently in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and debuted in Dharamsala before that. Sai Sudharsan is slightly out of the box, but you feel he can play at No. 3 because of the excellent form he is in,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“This means captain Shubman Gill will go to No. 4. Firstly, I am saying he will become the captain. That's what the reports are suggesting. I see him going down the order. This is where he will settle down, as a No. 4 batter for India in Test matches. Rishabh Pant at No. 5, and I am thinking Nitish Kumar Reddy at No. 6. There are many contenders for this slot. Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, and Dhruv Jurel will be among the contenders, but I am going towards Nitish Kumar Reddy because he scored a hundred in Melbourne," the former India Test opener added.

At No. 8, I am thinking either Shardul Thakur or Deepak Chahar: Chopra

The 47-year-old analyst brought up a few players in the mix, but chose to stick with Ravindra Jadeja at number seven and either Mohammed Shami or Prasidh Krishna as the third specialist seamer in the eleven. One of the interesting picks by Chopra was to pick the likes of either Shardul Thakur or Deepak Chahar at the number eight position, mentioning how much depth they can bring with their ability with both bat and ball.

“I am saying Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7. Since Ashwin is not there anymore, you should go with Ravindra Jadeja. He can play the defensive role at Leeds. The team might play Washington Sundar because there will be a lot of left-handers in the opposition, but I am putting Jadeja at No. 7. At No. 8, I am thinking either Shardul Thakur or Deepak Chahar. You will get depth in batting as well. Both will like those conditions. Basically, they are bowlers who can bat a bit, but you are not compromising on the bowling," Chopra added further.

“Then Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammad Shami, if he is fit and available, or else I will think about Prasidh Krishna. There will be a question on whether you can think about Arshdeep Singh as a left-armer, and what about Akash Deep and Harshit Rana? All of them will be in the mix, but I see an XI like this," Chopra concluded.

Chopra’s probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan/Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur/Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami/Prasidh Krishna.