India v England 1st Test – India Predicted XI

One of the most awaited series of this long home Test season for Team India is just about to kick off, England has landed and both the teams are ready to kick things off with the opener at Rajkot November 9 onwards. This is the first time England has traveled to India after their famous win here in 2011. The last time, the English managed to upset India, can they do it again? England will be missing their spin duo of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann who bowled them to victory last time around. Though they are boosted by the comeback of James Anderson but he won’t be available for the first Test an inexperienced spin bowling attack will make life difficult for the British on this tour to India. Team India, on the other hand, is mid-way through a cracking season at home under Virat Kohli whose new brand of Test cricket promises a lot. They will be looking to avenge the defeat they were served in 2011. India have their injury concerns in the batting department with KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma out of the series. Their bowling attack, however, is on a roll with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja leading the way. This is the XI we expect the Indian team to field for the first Test: 1. Murali Vijay: Murali Vijay of India. (Photo by Ryan Pierse – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) The rock solid and old school Indian opener Murali Vijay seals a spot for himself by default in the side. He has the big responsibility of scoring runs at the top of the order to set a platform for the middle order to capitalize on as both mainstream openers are injured. Vijay is short of runs as well as he couldn’t contribute much in the last series and will look to make it count against the fairly inexperienced English attack. It will be an interesting contest between him and the oppening bowlers. Also Watch: Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay lip-syncing the dialogue of ‘The Rock’ 2. Gautam Gambhir: Gautam Gambhir. (Photo Source: BCCI) At 35, the aggressive Delhi opener is all set to take guard in the first match after a good comeback. Gautam Gambhir’s comeback is one of the most inspiring stories around the cricketing circles now. He is an excellent player of spin and his experience will come in handy in the series and the fact that he needs to do well here to maintain his place will definitely see better results for the team. Gambhir lit up the last match of the New Zealand series with a quick-fire fifty in the second innings. That knock and his most recent performance in the Ranji Trophy will definitely give him a lot of confidence to score in this series which also tends to decide his future in Indian cricket. Also read – Gautam Gambhir slams Delhiites for not caring about the environment 3. Cheteshwar Pujara: Cheteshwar Pujara hits a shot during his knock of 50* in the first session of Day 4 of the 3rd Test at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. (Photo Source: BCCI) Giving the batting unit more stability is Cheteshwar Pujara at No. 3. After being criticized for his strike rate, he replied with the bat by scoring 367 runs including three 50s and a hundred in the last series to seal his place at the spot. Pujara is the steady batsman who soaks in all the pressure and holds the innings together. He backs up the team if the openers are out early. His form will be crucial for India in this series. The first match at Rajkot will be a home game for him, given it’s his home ground. Also read – Kiran More bats for Cheteshwar Pujara’s cautious batting approach 4. Virat Kohli (C): Indian batsman and captain Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring a double century. (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images) The captain and most consistent batsman in the team leads the way by example. Virat Kohli having failed to score a fifty in five consecutive innings he came back with a bang to score a double century against New Zealand. He is a perfect example of controlled aggression, Virat knows exactly when to attack and when not to. He will be itching to get runs against Stuart Broad & Co. given how the English spearhead made him struggle in England. Virat as a captain has been impressive as well. His way of imposing a result out of a game and going for a win has impressed the cricketing fraternity. A lot will depend on how he leads his troops in this series. Also read – MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli have tremendous respect for each other: Ravi Shastri 5. Ajinkya Rahane: Ajinkya Rahane of India celebrates his half century. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) Jinx as they call him fondly, is Mr. Consistent when it comes to Test cricket. He is a prolific batsman who can bat with the lower order. His mixture of caution with aggression lower down the order is just what India need from their number 5 batsman. He will be confident coming off a good series against New Zealand, where he was the 3rd highest run getter. On the field, Rahane is an asset to any team. He is the slip specialist for India in the Test squad. He along with Vijay and Virat will take care of the slip cordon. Also Watch: Kohli, Dhoni and Rahane redefine mother love 6. Ravichandran Ashwin: Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI) The all-rounder needs no introduction. Record breaker. Period. The Indian team’s spin king and the best in the world at the moment Ravi Ashwin will pose some serious threats to the English batsmen. His ability to extract turn and bounce from the surface along with the variety and change of pace is bound to get wickets, especially on Indian wickets. Following a hundred in the West Indies, Ashwin was promoted ahead of Wriddhiman Saha to number 6. He is a more than capable batsman who thrives in challenging situations. Beware England!!! Ashwin he will be eager to erase off the disappointment of 2011 with a memorable show here. Also read – Monty Panesar hails Ravi Ashwin ahead of the start of the Test series 7. Wriddhiman Saha (wk): India cricketer Wriddhiman Saha celebrates after catching a ball. (Photo credit DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images) The Bengal wicketkeeper-batsman is the best keeper in India after MS Dhoni his predecessor. Wriddhiman Saha has some big shoes to fill and so far hasn’t disappointed as far as keeping is concerned. As a batsman, though, Saha struggled in the early part of his career, but seems to have settled down now. He now has a different responsibility, with Ashwin at 6 that takes off the pressure from him. Saha can now focus on scoring quickly with Jadeja the lower order all of whom are more than willing to contribute with the bat in this new team. Also read – Wicket-keeper Saha appreciates the dressing room atmosphere in the Test team 8. Ravindra Jadeja: Indian batsman Ravindra Jadeja plays a shot. (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images) The all-rounder from Saurashtra is a great spin partner for Ashwin as he keeps things tight. Both Ashwin and Jadeja hunt together now. They form a great partnership while bowling and hardly ever give the oppositions a chance to break free. Ravindra Jadeja’s batting has improved leaps and bounds. His runs are crucial at the position he bats. Being a left-hander he has the ability to play some special shots and it might not appear like but can clear the ropes at will. He has been scoring some quick runs of late and that is a real boon for the team. Also read – Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara ready to enjoy home advantage 9. Amit Mishra: Indian cricketer Amit Mishra delivers the ball during the second day of a two-day tour match. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) As tempting as it is to play an extra batter or an all-rounder, Karun Nair and Hardik Panday miss out as Amit Mishra is in the form of his life. He had an excellent series in the ODIs against New Zealand receiving the man of the series award. Mishra bamboozled the Kiwi batsmen and picked crucial wickets for the team. He is experienced and with English’s record against spin he makes it in the XI. His guile, variety and change in pace will make life difficult for the batsmen, also the fact that a leggie can pick wickets on any surface makes his role significant especially for the first inning. Also read – Virender Sehwag feels Amit Mishra has fudged his age 10. Ishant Sharma: Ishant Sharma of India celebrates the dismissal of Roston Chase. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) The tall, lanky and experienced fast bowler is back after missing the last series due to illness. Ishant Sharma, the leader of the Indian fast bowling attack knows what the pacers are supposed to do on turning tracks. He is coming back after a bit of a break and is expected to retain his spot in the side as the most experienced bowler. Ishant played the last Ranji Trophy tie for Delhi to prove his match fitness and wracked up the wickets as well to ensure he walks in straight into the starting team. His skills with the old ball will also come in handy in the last part of the day. Also read – Ishant Sharma to tie the knot on December 9 11. Mohammad Shami: Mohammed Shami. (Photo Source: BCCI) Shami is a wicket-taker and a match winner in true sense. He relies on conventional spin with the new ball, can hit the deck hard if there isn’t much assistance and is more than able reverse swing bowler. Shami also has the knack of picking important wickets at crucial junctures of the match. He is experienced and has learnt fast bowling from the master himself- Wasim Akram. He will play a big role in getting the 20 English wickets. Shami definitely displayed how important the team was for him when he played the Kolkata Test while his daughter was ill and admitted in the ICU. Also read – Mohammad Shami played 2nd Test while his daughter was in the ICU

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India v England 1st Test – India Predicted XI

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