IND vs ENG Playing-11: Sudarshan or Karun, who is India’s new number-3, who will get a chance among Nitish-Shardul and Kuldeep?

The first match of the five-match Test series will be played between India and England from Friday. The match in Leeds will start at 3:30 pm Indian time. At the same time, the toss will take place half an hour before that i.e. at 3 pm. With this Test, the teams of India and England will start their World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. While young Shubman Gill will lead the Indian team, veteran all-rounder Ben Stokes will captain England.

The English team had announced the playing-11 on Wednesday itself. At the same time, Team India will announce it just before the toss. However, the struggle for the Indian playing-11 is still going on. Eight players of the Indian playing-11 are almost decided, while the team management and head coach Gautam Gambhir have to brainstorm about three places. There is a battle between Sai Sudarshan, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav for these places. Let us know what could be India’s playing-11…

Rahul and Yashasvi are sure to open

A young Team India will enter this series under the leadership of Gill. Only time will tell which player will perform well to fill the vacancies of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after their retirement from Tests, but the biggest question is who should be tried in their place. There is every possibility of KL Rahul replacing Rohit as an opener. Rahul’s record in England has also been excellent and his experience along with young Yashasvi Jaiswal can come in handy.

This is Yashasvi’s first tour of England, while Rahul has scored 614 runs in 18 innings of nine matches there at an average of 34.11. These include two centuries and a half-century. At the same time, vice-captain Rishabh Pant had said in the press conference on Wednesday that number four and five have been decided. Captain Shubman Gill will come out to bat at number four vacated by Virat Kohli, while Pant will continue to bat at number five. The entire responsibility of the middle order will be on the strong shoulders of these two.

Who will get a chance among Arshdeep, Prasidh and Akash?

At the same time, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is certain to play as a spinner. At the same time, the responsibility of fast bowling will be on the shoulders of experienced Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj. Both of them are almost certain to play. Prasidh Krishna is almost certain to play as the third pacer. His hit the deck ball can prove to be fatal on the Leeds pitch. However, he may compete with Arshdeep Singh in the playing-11.

It will depend on whether the team management wants a left-arm fast bowler or not. Arshdeep has performed well in county cricket which strengthens his claim. However, he does not have the experience of playing Tests and due to this Prasidh may get a chance. Akash Deep is another option, but Prasidh is sure to get preference over him. Apart from these, the number-three, number-six and one bowler’s place is vacant in the team. The real battle is about this.

Will India play with six batsmen?

Vice-captain Pant had told that discussions are still going on about number three. This means that the team management is considering whether to give an all-rounder a chance or play an additional batsman. There is a lot of talk about Sai Sudarshan’s debut at number three. However, Karun Nair recently batted at number three while playing for India-A and scored a double century. Karun is currently in the best form of his life and it will not be easy for the team management to keep an in-form batsman away from the playing-11. In such a situation, Sudarshan can get a chance to play at number-three and Karun at number six. However, in this combination, India will have only five bowling options and the team will not have any sixth bowler. At the same time, if either Sudarshan or Karun gets a chance at number three, then either Shardul or Nitish can be played at number six and Kuldeep Yadav can be played in the vacant place of a bowler.

Fast bowlers have dominated in Leeds

Talking about Leeds, out of the total Tests played there so far, fast bowlers have taken 1773 wickets. Out of these, 1618 wickets have been taken by a right-arm fast bowler. At the same time, a left-arm fast bowler has taken 155 wickets. At the same time, spinners have got 612 wickets in Leeds. Out of this, a right-arm spinner has taken 383 wickets and a left-arm spinner has taken 229 wickets. If this record is seen, then Team India can give preference to Prasidh over Arshdeep. There is a high possibility that Team India will go into the first Test with six batsmen, one spinner and four fast bowlers. A total of seven Tests have been played between India and England in Leeds so far. Out of these, Team India has won only two Tests. The Indian team has faced defeat in four. One Test was a draw. Overall 136 Tests have been played between India and England.

Talking about Leeds, out of the total Tests played there so far, fast bowlers have taken 1773 wickets. Out of these, 1618 wickets have been taken by right-arm fast bowlers. At the same time, left-arm fast bowlers have taken 155 wickets. At the same time, spinners have got 612 wickets in Leeds. Out of this, right-arm spinners have taken 383 wickets and left-arm spinners have taken 229 wickets. If we look at this record, then Team India can give preference to Prasidh over Arshdeep. There is a high possibility that Team India will go into the first Test with six batsmen, one spinner and four fast bowlers. A total of seven Tests have been played between India and England in Leeds so far. Out of these, Team India has won only two Tests. The Indian team has faced defeat in four. One Test has been drawn. Overall 136 Tests have been played between India and England. Out of these, India has won 35 matches and England has won 51 Tests. 50 Tests have been drawn.
England announced playing-11

England have already announced their playing-11 and have focused on strengthening the batting in which Woakes will come at number eight. Woakes has scored a Test century against India and is a good batsman, but it will also depend on how Jack Crowley and Ben Duckett start against Bumrah and Siraj, but in three out of five matches, the contest between Root and Bumrah can decide the result of the series.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Karun Nair/Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

England’s announced playing 11 for the first Test match

Zak Crowley, Ben Duckett, ⁠Ollie Pope, Joe Root, ⁠Harry Brook, ⁠Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, ⁠Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.