Predicted India Playing XI for 1st WI Test: No rest for Bumrah, Axar Patel to warm the bench?

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s retirements from Test cricket haven’t destabilised Team India. The modern greats calling time on their red-ball careers just before the England tour had many wondering about the lack of experience in India’s batting lineup.

But Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant stepped up. Yashasvi Jaiswal didn’t perform to the best of his abilities but still managed to score 2 hundreds. Sai Sudharsan showed immense promise and poise. Rishabh Pant’s injury means Dhruv Jurel will continue as India’s wicketkeeper, who recently scored one hundred and one fifty for India A against Australia A.

Who’ll replace Karun Nair?

Karun Nair, who batted at number three and six in England, has been dropped by the selectors. His spot is the only one up for grabs. There are two candidates for that role, Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

The former had made his Test debut last year and scored a half-century while batting at number four. Padikkal wasn’t picked for England due to an injury that cut his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season short as well. The left-handed batter should ideally get the first preference and will likely bat at number five, with Jurel going down to six.

Nitish has never batted above number six in Test cricket. His batting hasn’t been that great either. In England, he scored just 45 runs in 4 innings. His bowling might have helped him away from home, but in India, going with 2 fast bowlers and 3 spinners is enough.

Will Jasprit Bumrah be rested?

Jasprit Bumrah didn’t have a great Asia Cup campaign. Due to his workload management, it looks like the ace pacer is slightly undercooked for international cricket. Bumrah wasn’t at his best in the Asia Cup. And making him play with a 3-day turnaround doesn’t seem wise.

But with no overs under his belt, Bumrah probably won’t get back into his rhythm. Moreover, it seems like the pacer himself wants to play Test cricket. He’s openly stated that it’s his favourite format. Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar had also shared, while announcing the squad, that Bumrah has expressed a desire to play both Test matches.

“This team has been picked for both the Tests, so he’s available for both Tests. We’ve had a fair break after England. He didn’t play the fifth Test either. So, there’s been a five-week break. Even this tournament (Asia Cup) has been fairly spaced out till the last week. So no, he’s ready and keen to play both Test matches,” Agarkar had said.

It seems like Bumrah will partner with Mohammed Siraj, and that Prasidh Krishna, the only other pacer in the squad, will have to warm the bench.

No place for Axar Patel

Unfortunately for Axar Patel, he won’t play another home Test soon. The all-rounder can’t break into the team at this moment. Kuldeep Yadav had outperformed even Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin against England last year. Plus, he’s in tremendous touch, as seen in the Asia Cup. So, he’s not going out.

Washington Sundar was India’s best spinner in England and has been a reliable Test batter since his debut. On the basis of his performance against New Zealand at home alone, he can’t be removed either. And one doesn’t need to say much about Jadeja, who’s probably India’s best Test all-rounder to date.

Predicted India Playing XI for 1st West Indies Test

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Bench: Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Narayan Jagadeesan

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