IND vs ENG 2021: Wasim Jaffer asks Twitterati to decode his Team India playing XI by posting collage of images

Former opener Wasim Jaffer took to Twitter to post a collage of images and asked fans to decode his Team India playing XI for the first Test against England.

The India-England Test series will begin with the first match in Nottingham from August 4. Team India suffered a blow ahead of the game as opener Mayank Agarwal was ruled out of the Test, having suffered a concussion after being hit on the helmet during practice.

Uploading the collage on his official Twitter account, Jaffer wrote:

“My Playing XI for the first test #ENGvIND #decode.”

The compilation of images featured Bollywood stars like Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh, former WWE wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin as well as sportspersons like current Team India coach Ravi Shastri and boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

Here are some guesses from Twitterati to Jaffer’s post on his Team India playing XI. While some gave it a shot, others were left utterly confused.

RohitRahulPujjuViratAjju pantLeft arm- jadsuAshwin mehtaMohhamad shamiIshantBumrah

— Er Rohit panwar (@the_great_rohit) August 2, 2021

Rohit RahulPujara (samaj nehi aaya)Virat Ajinkya(samaj nehi aaya)Pant(samaj nehi aaya)Jaddu(shashtri allrounder)Ashwin(must be. Don't know who is him)M Shami(Md ali)Ishant(lamba bal)Bumrah(samaj nehi aaya)

— viratian (@MHChowd11190598) August 2, 2021

RohitRahulPujaraKohliRahanePantSundarAshvinShamiSirajBumrah

— Gaurang Mittal (@gaurangmittal15) August 2, 2021

1 Rohit (Kaho na pyaar hai)2 Rahul (Dil to pagal hai)3 Pujara (Steve was his nickname given by county teammates)4 Kohli5 Rahane (Ajju bhai, Welcome back)6 Pant (Sorabh Pant)7 Jaddu (didn't get it)8 Ashwin (Scam 1992)9 Mohd Shami 10 Siraj (supposedly)11 Didn't get it too

— Hritunava Basak (@hritz_nav) August 2, 2021

Seedhe seedhe bol nahi sakte...! pic.twitter.com/ewkXG1WdpZ

— Abhijith N S (@Abhijithshet7) August 2, 2021

Meme of the decade pic.twitter.com/zkFQXI852D

— Neha Khan (@NehaKha44398253) August 2, 2021

Team India captain Virat Kohli downplays hype around England series

Even as critics have predicted that the India-England series will be one to look forward to, Team India captain Virat Kohli is not overexcited about the hype. India are yet to win a Test series in England since 2007. However, according to Kohli, a triumph in England would mean nothing more than any other series victory.

Speaking to Dinesh Karthik on Sky Sports, Kohli said about the upcoming England series:

"For me personally, it means nothing more than winning a Test match or a Test series anywhere else in the world. For me, these things are not anecdotes or milestones in my career. We step on the field and we compete to win every Test match, that's what matters to me. For Indian cricket it will be a huge thing. But for me it is the culture that is dear to me.”

The Team India captain admitted the side will need to give their best every day of a Test match if they are to win the upcoming series. Kohli elaborated:

"It takes relentless madness and pursuit of excellence every day over a five-Test series to tell yourself that I want to do the hard work and I want to get into situations which are tough into every Test match every day. You got to be ready for that kind of workload and mental load.”

Team India went down 1-4 the last time they played a Test series in England in 2018.