TimesofIndia.com in Leeds:
Team India had an optional net session on the eve of the first Test against England at the Headingley Cricket Ground. For starters, it wasn’t a full house as Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar didn’t come with the rest of the team for the afternoon session. On expected lines, it was hot and dry when the rest trained under the unforgiving sun.With the coin toss just few hours away, all the attention was on what India’s lineup could be. Unlike the hosts, the visitors are yet to announce their combination for the series opener and captain Shubman Gill, too, kept cards close to his chest. When asked about the combination, Gill said they have one-two options ready and will take the final call after looking at the pitch.Both Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir did have a look at the playing surface and had no more than a 60-second conversation before resuming their respective business. As far as nets were concerned, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal had long hits, Gill had another marathon session, Karun Nair played on all practice surfaces, Ravindra Jadeja spent considerable time on his batting, before chatting with coach Gambhir.It is very likely that Nair will return to India Playing XI at the No. 3 position and big calls need to be taken regarding the bowling combination and the choice of all-rounders. Jaiswal, Rahul, Nair, Gill, Pant and Jadeja should be the top-six for the Indian cricket team and the seam bowling will feature Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. With eight slots taken, the call now needs to be taken with the remaining three.
The possibility of both Shardul Thakur and Nitish Reddy playing can’t be ruled out as both would lend depth to the batting, and extra bowling option if needed. For the third seamer spot, Prasidh Krishna could make the cut as Arshdeep Singh bowled a very long spell in the nets – something which is not usual for a bowler who is expected to play next morning.Now where does that leave Kuldeep Yadav? There will be temptation to play the chinaman, especially in these dry conditions, but it would come at the cost of batting depth. The left-hander did bowl a lot and batted for a considerable period but it remains to be seen whether one all-rounder is benched to include the specialist spinner.
Poll
Which player do you believe will have the biggest impact in the first Test against England?
It will not be a surprise if Kuldeep comes into the XI at the cost of a seam-bowling all-rounder but everything depends on what the management is thinking – batting depth or wickets.India’s possible XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj.
