Mohammad Kaif picks India playing 11 for ENG vs IND 202 1st Test; has Abhimanyu Easwaran at No. 3
Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif revealed his preferred Indian playing XI for the side's upcoming England tour. New red-ball skipper Shubman Gill's rein will kick off with a challenging five-ball Test series against England, beginning June 20.
Kaif opined India should stick to Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul for the opening spots, pointing out the two batters' impressive performances at the top of the order in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. He backed Bengal's Abhimanyu Easwaran to make his Test debut and bat at the crucial No. 3 spot.
With Virat Kohli drawing curtains to his 14-year-long Test career, Kaif believes Gill should be slotted to the No. 4 position. He picked Karun Nair and Rishabh Pant as the No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Reddy were the two all-rounders in Kaif's lineup, while the pace attack included Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. The cricketer-turned-expert's comments in a video posted on his X account.
The Test series opener between India and England will be played at Headingley, Leeds.
Mohammad Kaif's preferred IND XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Mohammad Kaif names bowling all-rounder who should be part of India's playing XI for England tour if Nitish Reddy isn't fit
In the same video, Mohammad Kaif stated that India should turn to bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur if Nitish Reddy isn't fit. Reddy is also part of the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led India A squad that will play two Tests against England Lions.
Suggesting that Thakur should get the nod if Reddy isn't fully fit, here's what Kaif said:
"There is still some question on Nitish Reddy's bowling. He is in the India A team and if he bowls then he will surely play at No. 8. He hit a century in Australia and batted well. If he isn't fully fit to bowl, you can get Shardul Thakur."
Thakur returned to India's Test after a gap of nearly 18 months. He performed admirably for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, bagging 35 wickets across 18 innings and scoring 505 runs from 12 innings, including one ton and four fifties.