Virat Kohli Ruled Out, Shreyas Iyer In; Here’s India’s Probable Playing XI For 1st Test Vs ENG
Virat Kohli in South Africa (AP Photos)
In a surprising turn of events, Virat Kohli has decided to withdraw from the first two Tests of the five-match series against England, scheduled to get underway on January 25. The BCCI announced on Monday that Kohli spoke to captain Rohit Sharma, and he cited ‘personal reasons’ for his unavailability.
Now, who can replace Kohli in the first Test? Who are the options available in the squad as of now? Let’s have a look at how India’s playing XI is likely to shape in the former India skipper’s absence.
Let’s not forget India will have KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer as specialist batsmen in this series, and KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel as wicket-keeping options. As there won’t be any pressure for Rahul with big gloves behind the stumps, he can easily bat at No. 4 without having any concerns regarding workload management.
By doing so, Shreyas can fit at No. 5, and Bharat can follow him. After that, the all-rounders such as Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Axar Patel and two fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will be in the mix. The top three, of course, will be Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill.
India's Probable Playing XI Vs England In 1st Test
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
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