Predicted India squad for England Test series

India will take on the England in the first Test at Rajkot to kick-off what will be a five-match Test series at the subcontinent. However, with this being one of the few five-Test series being played in recent times, the Indian selectors will have a lot of work to do.

Moreover, the Indians will be looking to keep a hold on the number one Test ranking spot they laid claim to in the recently-concluded New Zealand series. This would mean that they should play well and truly out of their skins to make this happen.

That said, we take a quick look into what the selectors will be looking into in terms of putting out a squad to face up to the might of the Brits in the upcoming series.

Opening batsmen: Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay

The opening batsmen for the Indians have been underperforming for the most part of the year. Of course, it was clear that some of their individual performances in the tour of the West Indies was commendable to say the least, the fact of the matter is that partnerships at the top of the order are the need of the hour.

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Moreover, the Indians have been dealt with a terrible body blow. KL Rahul, one of the best opening batsmen in the country has injured a hamstring, thus leaving Anil Kumble and his men short of a few options.

However, in spite of this, India still has three perfectly fit openers in the form of Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, and Murali Viay. The latter in particular will be the one who gets the nod in almost all certainty while the southpaws will be left fighting for the scraps.

Middle Order Batsmen: Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Karun Nair

In all the three Tests against New Zealand, the middle-order of the Indian batting unit remained more or less the same. Cheteshwar Pujara came in to bat at number three followed by the skipper and his deputy.

Although Rohit Sharma has had issues in terms of his temperament in recent times, it seems quite clear that he will be the one to hold on to his place in the batting scheme of things ahead of others.

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Karun Nair, who was a late addition to the squad will also be looking to get his first crack in the grand scheme of things. Having made his ODI debut previously, the 24-year old Karnataka skipper will be on the lookout for a well-deserved opportunity on the grand stage of international cricket.

Spin bowlers: Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Amit Mishra

The Indian spinners will perhaps be the most important part of the squad. Especially, given the fact that they will be deployed in subcontinent conditions, it adds much more of an edge for the Indian spin trio.

Although it is unlikely that all three of them would be deployed in the same match, it seems quite clear to say the least, that Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin will make the duo with Amit Mishra once again on the wings.

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The spinners concluded the New Zealand series with the highest number of wickets wherein they picked the most number of wickets and will be hoping to make England grovel under the spin of their turning wickets.

Pace bowlers: Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami

Anyone in the right mindset would say that Indian pace bowling has improved drastically over the years. With bowlers these days able to clock high speeds in excess of 140 Kmph, it seems quite clear that the Indians are most definitely justifying their place atop the world rankings.

Ishant Sharma has recovered from his illness that ruled him out of the Test series while the Indians will be retaining pacers Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami. The latter was rested in the ODI series and will be expected to come back with a bang.

Shardul Thakur will once again be roped in as a cover for the Indians especially as Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the players who is injured for the current series. With this, a mouthwatering encounter is most certainly on the cards in the upcoming series.