India will have a massive task on hand when they tour England for a five-match Test series in June 2025. India were hammered by Australia and New Zealand in the previous. The twin series defeats knocked India out of the World Test Championship (WTC) final race.

The England series will mark the beginning of a new WTC cycle, and India would be keen to get the ball rolling. But beating England in England won't be easy. India's batting was at fault in previous series defeats to New Zealand and Australia, and the conditions in England are not the easiest to bat . Historically, Indian batters, including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have struggled in England, and a lot will rest on their shoulders in terms of India's chances of winning the series.

Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri has called for the inclusion of Sai Sudharsan in the India squad for England tour. Sudharsan has been brilliant in the ongoing IPL, scoring over 450 runs, including five fifties. He also has considerable experience of English conditions, having played County Cricket for Surrey in 2023 and 2024, scoring 281 runs, including a century and a fifty.

Sudharsan also boasts of an impressive first-class record where he scored 1957 runs at an average of 39.93 for Tamil Nadu, including a double-hundred against Delhi in Ranji Trophy 2024.

“I see this young man, Sai Sudharsan, for all formats of the game,” Shastri told The ICC Review.

“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,” added Shastri.

Sudharsan also boasts of an impressive first-class record where he scored 1957 runs at an average of 39.93 for Tamil Nadu, including a double hundred for Tamil Nadu against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy 2024.

“I see this young man, Sai Sudharsan, for all formats of the game,” Shastri told The ICC Review.

“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,” added Shastri.

Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed Should Be Considered - Ravi Shastri

Shastri also floated the idea of including left-arm pacers Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed in the squad.

“I'll be looking for a left-armer,” he said. “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.”

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