Ex-India coach Ravi Shastri has named three players he feels should be in with a chance of making the India Test squad for the upcoming tour of England.
On the latest episode of the ICC Review, Shastri, who coached India's Test team to back-to-back series victories in Australia, picked out one top-order batter, Sai Sudharsan, and two pace bowlers, Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed, as potential selections for the England Test series which begins in June.
Shastri: 'I see Sai Sudharsan for all formats of the game'
"I see this young man, Sai Sudharsan, for all formats of the game," he said. "He seems like a class player and my eyes would be on him certainly. Being a left-hander in England, knowing English conditions, and just his technique, the way he plays, I think he'll be top of the list for me from the outsiders wanting to get into this side."
Sai Sudharsan has been in stunning form for Gujarat Titans in the ongoing IPL, currently sitting behind only Suryakumar Yadav for the most runs in this year's tournament. He is yet to play Test cricket for India, but has represented the country in the other two white-ball formats – playing one T20I and three ODIs – with scores of 55*, 62 and 10.
As for his record in the longest format, Sai Sudharsan's 29 first-class matches have seen him rack up 1,957 runs, averaging a shade under 40. Last November, he scored a century for India A in tricky conditions in Australia. Still only 23 years old, Sai Sudharsan has also played county cricket in England, representing Surrey five times.
Arshdeep, Khaleel backed as left-arm options for England Tests
"I'll be looking for a left-armer," Shastri added, to the ICC Review. "I'll be keeping an eye on which left-armer is in good form, and try and squeeze him in there as the sixth (bowling) option.
“It could be anyone. It could even be a white-ball specialist. I don't like this thing when they say someone like Arshdeep Singh is a ‘white-ball specialist’. I'll keep a close eye on his red-ball record as well and the number of overs he bowls. If he can bowl 15-20 overs for me, he might very well be in the mix because he's got the mindset. He's a thinking bowler and I need a left-armer. It's just that.
“You need a left-armer, go and find him, whoever it is and whoever is the best of the lot – pick them. There's Khaleel Ahmed, who again, his rhythm is good, he's bowling well. So it's important to get that mix.”
Read more: The pace race: which seamers will England pick for the Zimbabwe and India Tests?
Like Sai Sudharsan, neither Khaleel nor Arshdeep has played Test cricket yet. Arshdeep, however, is already India's leading wicket-taker in men's T20Is despite debuting only in 2022. He had a stint with Kent in 2023, returning 13 wickets in five matches at 41.8.
Both Arshdeep and Khaleel have taken over 50 wickets in first-class cricket, averaging roughly 30 and 28 with the ball respectively. Both have also impressed in IPL 2025 – Khaleel is joint-fifth and Arshdeep joint-sixth for most wickets this season with 14 and 13 so far.
Since Zaheer Khan's last Test in 2014, only four of India's Test matches have featured a left-arm pacer – three caps for Jaydev Unadkat and one for T Natarajan.
Also read: Arshdeep Singh's red-ball credentials: A future India Test star?
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