Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli deciding to retire from Tests has left India with a lot to think about before their Test series against England, starting June 20. Since the squad was announced, there’s been a lot of talk about who will play in the first Test in Leeds. Some Indian players recently faced off against the England Lions in a couple of unofficial Tests. In the second match at Northampton, KL Rahul scored a century in the first innings and then followed it up with another solid performance, pretty much ensuring his spot as an opener.
Former Indian opener Robin Uthappa has suggested that head coach Gautam Gambhir should stick with Rahul as one opener, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. He also thinks that Sai Sudharsan should be in the lineup, which would move Shubman Gill to number 4 and Karun Nair to number 5. Uthappa believes starting strong is crucial and feels Rahul is a great choice based on his past performances in Australia and England.
He mentioned wanting someone like Sai Sudharsan at number 3, praising his technique and potential in Test cricket. For number 4, he picked Shubman Gill, and for number 5, he opted for Karun Nair because of his experience. Uthappa chose Rishabh Pant as his wicketkeeper at number 6, saying it suits him well. For number 7, he went with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who he sees as a solid all-rounder.
Uthappa believes that having Ravindra Jadeja in the lineup adds more depth to the batting; he would slot him in at number 8. In terms of pace, Uthappa picked Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.
So, Uthappa’s ideal team for the England Tests looks like this: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.