India's predicted XI for rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham

Team India are in the UK to prepare for the rescheduled Test against England, which begins at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 1. The players are currently in Leicester for a four-day warm-up match against Leicestershire, which will start on Thursday, June 23.

Last year’s fifth Test was rescheduled after it was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp. It was to have been played at Old Trafford in Manchester. The visitors are leading the series 2-1.

After the opening match of the series ended in a draw, India took a 1-0 lead with a famous 151-run win at Lord’s. The hosts struck back by battering the Indians by an innings and 76 runs in Leeds. However, Virat Kohli and Co. displayed remarkable resilience to clinch The Oval Test by 157 runs and go 2-1 up.

As Team India gear up for the Birmingham challenge, let’s take a look at their predicted playing XI for the match.

---

Openers: Rohit Sharma (captain) and Shubman Gill

Rohit Sharma (left) and Shubman Gill. Pic: Getty Images

In KL Rahul’s absence, young Shubman Gill looks set to open the innings with skipper Rohit Sharma. Rohit had a brilliant tour of England in 2021, compiling 368 runs in four matches at an average of 52.57. However, he hasn’t been in great form in recent months irrespective of the format.

Gill was part of Gujarat Titans’ (GT) title-winning campaign in the IPL recently. However, he last featured in a Test match during New Zealand’s tour of India in November-December 2021. He made decent contributions of 52, 44 and 47 in three of the four innings.

---

Middle order: Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant (wk)

Rishabh Pant during the Test series in South Africa. Pic: Getty Images

Cheteshwar Pujara may have earned a comeback into the Test squad on the basis of his county and Ranji Trophy performances. But it would be unfair if Hanuma Vihari doesn’t retain the No. 3 spot. He did not do badly in the series against Sri Lanka, scoring 58, 31 and 35.

Virat Kohli has not been able to overcome his poor run of form since India’s previous visit to England, but he will get another chance at Edgbaston to make an impact.

Ajinkya Rahane was part of the Indian XI during the 2021 series. He is now likely to be replaced by Shreyas Iyer. The youngster made a memorable Test debut at home, scoring a hundred and a fifty against New Zealand. England, however, will present him with a completely different challenge.

Keeper-batter Rishabh Pant may have been struggling in the T20s, but he is expected to come good in the upcoming Test. He scored a century versus South Africa in Cape Town at the start of the year and followed it up with 96 in the Mohali Test against Sri Lanka.

---

All-rounder: Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur celebrates a wicket during The Oval Test. Pic: Getty Images

Shardul Thakur could again be given the responsibility of playing the all-rounder’s role. He was one of the key performers during the 2021 tour. With his ability to move the ball at just the right pace, he troubled quite a few Englishmen.

His twin fifties in The Oval Test were absolute gold. Thakur brings a much-needed balance to the playing XI, something which India have dearly missed in the past.

---

Bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj

Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Haseeb Hameed. Pic: Getty Images

Shifting focus to the bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja played all four Tests when India were in England for the previous series. However, considering the fact that the left-arm spinner is just returning from injury, the visitors might be tempted to go with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been playing constantly in recent times.

Ashwin is in decent form with the bat as well, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he gets the nod ahead of Jadeja (provided Ashwin is fit and available).

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami will be the two main pacers. Bumrah claimed 10 wickets in two Tests against Sri Lanka, while Shami chipped in with five. Both excelled during the previous tour of the UK. Bumrah had 18 scalps from four Tests and Shami 11 from three. There will be high hopes from them this time as well in the rescheduled Test.

Mohammed Siraj was one of the bowling heroes during India’s Test series in England in 2021. It was his fiery spell that bowled India to victory at Lord’s. He has been a bit below par in recent times. However, expect Team India to back him for the Edgbaston Test. He’s the kind of player who can turn things around in a matter of one brilliant spell.

---