The Indian Test team stars are raring to go as red-ball cricket once again takes centre-stage after four months of consecutive T20 action courtesy of the T20 World Cup and the IPL season.
India’s squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (c), KL Rahul (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
The certain starters
Captain Gill is a lock-in at No.4, as are new vice-captain Rahul and his opening partner Jaiswal. While Jurel has been in fine form recently, Pant should make it to the playing XI as the primary wicketkeeper. Sundar, the senior all-rounder in the squad in terms of Test caps, should get the nod alongside Kuldeep Yadav, who would be the premier spinner for Gill’s men in New Chandigarh.
Headlining the pace battery in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, Siraj would be the first-choice seamer alongside one Gujarat Titans teammate.
The No.3 conundrum
Since Virat Kohli’s retirement, Gill has moved to No.4 in Tests, opening up the No.3 slot. Karun Nair was trialled in the spot in England, followed by Sai Sudharsan. Even Sundar got a chance to go up the order: he batted well on tough pitches. However, head coach Gautam Gambhir clarified at the pre-match press conference that Sai Sudharsan will be India’s No.3.
The all-rounders
In a home Test, there isn’t usually much debate about the all-rounders. But with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel rested and the thinktank eyeing a larger bowling group, Sundar and Reddy could be picked as primary all-rounders for the Afghanistan challenge. As the sixth bowler, however, Reddy has been underbowled at home.
It remains to be seen if the thinktank will go for six bowling options and include either Dubey or Suthar in the playing XI, while the incumbent Jurel may strengthen the batting if he is picked as a pure batter for the No.6 slot.
Siraj’s bowling partner
Prasidh has sometimes been the pressure reliever as he tends to go for a few runs when the ball gets a bit older. However, with Siraj and Prasidh having bowled in tandem since the last two months for the Gujarat Titans, the duo can be the preferred pairing. At the same time, one cannot rule out Brar getting fast-tracked into the Test team in Bumrah’s absence.
India’s likely Playing XI for one-off test against Afghanistan
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
