Following the retirements of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Team India arrived in England with plenty to ponder ahead of the five-match Test. A lot has been said and written about how India could line-up in the absence of Kohli and Rohit when the first Test gets underway in Leeds on June 20. Most of the players in the first team squad have taken part in three warm-up matches. While two were against England Lions, one was an intra-squad match, which concluded on Sunday in Beckenham, Kent.

It is safe to say that the Indian team management, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir, must’ve zeroed down on India’s playing XI by now.

Former India cricketer Venkatapathy Raju has revealed what he thinks should be the team’s ideal batting template. He feels captain Shubman Gill should bat at no. 3, followed by KL Rahul at no. 4, while one of either Karun Nair or Sai Sudharsan can open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.

“I think Gill can be no. 3. So you’ve got Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudarshan and Karun Nair. You can choose from these three in that opening slot. Gill can be No. 3 and No. 4 can be KL Rahul. So that adds a little more strength in the batting,” Raju told Hindustan Times.

Raju added, saying: “And then you’ve got Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jaleja. You’ve got all these guys coming back. Gill can come number three. It’s just my opinion. We’re not talking about what they’ve planned. So I think if you ask me, because he’s leading, so he’ll get enough time to just relax and then walk into the bat happily. So Jaiswal and Sudharsan can open, with Gill at No. 3 and KL No. 4. No.5 can be Pant.”

India tour of England will take place from June to August 2025, with matches to be played at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord’s (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London).

India’s Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.