Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair in contention for India Test squad
India will tour England for a five-match Test series in the month of June-July
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India’s squad for the upcoming tour for England, which is expected to be announced on May 24, could include Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan. The top-order batter Shubman Gill, who was the vice-captain in the ODIs, is expected to lead the side.
The remaining squad will mostly consist of the same players that toured Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy keeping aside Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who both announced their retirement from the red-ball setup recently. Those vacant spots are likely to be filled by Nair and Sudharsan.
Both players have performed exceedingly well in the recent domestic season. Nair had been in a tremendous form in the domestic season, as he scored a whopping 863 runs in nine Ranji Trophy games with four centuries and then tallied 779 runs in eight Vijay Hazare Trophy with five centuries.
The Jodhpur-born cricketer, who guided Vidarbha to Ranji Trophy victory and runners-up in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, has been included in the India A squad, which will leave for England in a couple of days.
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Sudharsan, who currently holds the Orange Cap in IPL 2025, is also part of the India A setup and is set to join the camp for the second match against England Lions.
The left-handed batter was commended for his stroke play by the England cricketer Jos Buttler and has a high chance to be part of the India squad. However, Sudharsan is unlikely to open the innings for India as KL Rahul will pair up with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Gill could likely move down to No. 4 while the No. 3 spot will be open for Sudharsan or Nair.
In the absence of senior cricketers, the selectors could have considered Cheteshwar Pujara, however, it seems unlikely that the team management will look in that direction with age not being on his side.
The pacers will be Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep and Harshit Rana, with Mohammed Shami unlikely to be a part of the series owing to fitness concerns.
Reports: Mohammed Shami set to be ignored for England series
The all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar will be part and Kuldeep Yadav might be the lone spinner in the squad. There may be a spot for Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur. The two wicketkeepers will be Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel.
India's expected squad: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rishabh Pant, Druv Jurel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav
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