By Admin 
IND vs Eng Test Series: Before the Test series starting against England, two big questions have arisen in front of the Indian team captain Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir, first, after retirement from Virat Kohli’s Test cricket, who should be replaced at number 4 in batting order? And second, who should be chosen from Shardul Thakur and Nitish Reddy in the role of all -rounder? The special thing is that Shardul Thakur, who is unsold in the IPL, has caught everyone’s attention with his recent form and by scoring a century in an intra-skit match.
Who in place of Kohli at number 4
From June 20, the Indian team will play the first Test match against England at Lord’s ground. In the press conference held five days before the first Test, captain Shubman Gill could not make it clear who would come out to bat at number 4 instead of Kohli nor did he disclose any about the team combination. All fans and experts in the cricket world believe that captain Gill himself can go to bat at this place.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are considered almost certain as the team’s opening pair in playing 11 against England. Sai Sudarshan and Abhimanyu Ishwaran are getting to fight at number three, but Sai Sudarshan’s name is ahead in view of the recent performance. Sai Sudarshan has also batted with Sai Sudarshan, Gill in IPL, which can have more confidence in the captain.
Tough competition on all -rounder position
The most difficult in playing 11 is about the place of all -rounder in the team. Choosing either of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur for team management could be the most difficult decision. Nitish performed brilliantly on the tour of Australia, scoring a brilliant century. Their batting in the team could strengthen the middle order, which could be important in the challenging conditions of England.
However, Nitish cannot be considered a full-time bowler. Only 5 to 6 overs can be put in an innings, but by putting 10 to 12 overs from them, the team can be weakened.
On the other hand, Shardul Thakur can prove to be a more reliable option for the team. He has recently proved his usefulness by scoring a century in an intra squad match. They can throw a spell of 10-12 overs from the ball and also have the ability to take wickets. Their presence could balance the bowling attack of the team. Khardul was left unseeded in the IPL auction, but since then his performance in home matches has been excellent, which has raised hopes of returning to his playing XI.
What will be the strategy of Team India
Now the decision is in the hands of captain Shubman Gill, whether he will take an aggressive strategy like Kohli and land with four specialist fast bowlers, or will they take a defensive stance towards bringing deep into batting with Nitish?
Potential Indian playing XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice -captain / Wicketkeeper), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja / Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur / Nitish Reddy, Akash Deep, Jaspreet Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj.