With the India A-England Lions series over, the last chance for audition for all players for the five-match Test series between India and England is finished, with the focus now switching to an Intra-squad game from Friday (13th June) before the series opener from June 20 at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds.

The Shubman Gill-led side is set to field for their first-choice line-up while the rest of the best will play for India A in the four-day match scheduled to take place at the Kent Cricket Ground in Beckenham. India's selection will be interesting as this will be the first playing XI that new captain Gill and head coach Gambhir will have to pick in the post Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli era, with some big holes to fill in the batting unit.

The opening pair is settled as Yashavi Jaiswal and KL Rahul will continue after being India's openers in four of the five Tests in Australia. There was some debate over Rahul's batting position, but that was put to rest after his impressive display in the second unofficial Test against England Lions with a century and a half-century.

While Gill has batted at number three for the last two years for India, there has been some suggestion that he could take Kohli's spot at four. Although it remains to be seen if the number 3 or 4 spot is vacant, Karun Nair is set to get the nod and play a Test match after eight years. After a dream domestic season, Nair impressed for India A with a double ton in the first match and a solid knock of 40 in the second game.

Rishabh Pant's selection as India's first-choice wicket-keeper is a no-brainer. The Indian vice-captain is expected to continue batting at number five. Similarly, Ravindra Jadeja's impressive batting record in overseas conditions, which includes a century in England, will get him the nod at number seven as one of the all-rounders and a key spin bowling option.

This leaves one spot open in the batting unit, which leaves a fight between Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Sudharsan's debut seemed a formality when the squad was named, but he missed the India A games as Gujarat Titans (GT) reached the IPL 2025 playoffs, while Nair impressed. Sudharsan could still get the nod, but Jurel impressed against the Lions with three half-centuries in four games. It is worth recalling that India played him as a specialist batter in Perth against Australia, and the same option cannot be ruled out.

However, Nitish is the likely option as Gambhir's desire to have all-rounders is well known, and the star pacer will offer India a handy fifth pacer and sixth bowling option.

While Nitish was used by India as the fourth pacer in Australia and batted at number eight, Shardul Thakur's return means he will take that spot. Shardul will compete for a spot with Kuldeep Yadav, but the conditions in Leeds are known to help pacers, and that could mean he has to wait to get a chance, as India could opt to just play one spinner.

While Jasprit Bumrah will only play 3-4 Test matches in the series, he will feature in the opening Test. There is little on Mohammed Siraj being his partner. Arshdeep Singh could get a debut as the third pacer as the team lacks a left-arm pacer, which could become important. Moreover, Arshdeep has also played County Cricket in the past, which means he has the experience of bowling in English conditions with the Dukes ball, which could be a crucial factor in him getting the nod over Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna.

India Likely XI For 1st Test vs England: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill (C), Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (VC/WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj

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