India will play a five-match test series against England from June 20. The BCCI announced the India squad for the series recently and named Shubman Gill captain of the side. Gill was handed the leadership duties after the retirement of Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli also retired before the series, leaving the BCCI two slots to fill in the India squad. Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair were rewarded for their stunning performances. While Sudharsan was in hot form in IPL, scoring over 700 runs, Nair did consistently well in domestic cricket.

Regulars like KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Nitish Reddy and Jasprit Bumrah were retained, however, Sarfaraz Khan and Mohammed Shami were dropped. Arshdeep Singh and Shardul Thakur were added to the squad to bolster the bowling unit.

India's Strongest XI For 1st Test

India will have to be smart in team selection to give this young team a fair chance to win the series in England. Yashasvi Jaiswal is set to open the innings, but India will need a new partner for him at the top. KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan are good options, along with Shubman Gill, but the skipper reportedly wants to bat at three. The selectors should prefer Rahul as he has prior experience of opening in England. Gill should bat at three, followed by Karun Nair at four. Rishabh Pant will bat at five.

India will have an option to play Ravindra Jadeja at six, but they are unlikely to go ahead with him, with Kuldeep Yadav being included ahead of the star all-rounder. Jadeja adds batting depth, but India should play two fast bowling all-rounders - Shardul Thakur and Nitish Reddy in English conditions. Having a specialist spinner against England batters could be a smart move.

Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh should be the three pacers as they make up for an all-around bowling attack.

India's Strongest Playing XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav

India Squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav

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