India's probable Test XI against England

#5 Ajinkya Rahane

India's go to man in foreign conditions, Ajinkya has a point to prove in England. With a very bad season of IPL behind his back, losing his spot in the limited overs side and some poor performances in Test Cricket, Rahane has to step up to his role of anchoring the innings during the middle overs and be consistent, being the Vice Captain.

He has great numbers and statistics outside the subcontinent, but he has to thoroughly live up to his reputation and the expectations from him. One more bad series for Rahane might mean eviction from the team, making way for Karun Nair at number 5 or maybe Shikhar Dhawan getting a place at the top, while KL Rahul bats at number 4, in between Pujara and Kohli.

Ajinkya Rahane

#6 Wriddhiman Saha

India's best wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha is probably the best wicketkeeper in the world at the moment, and has quite a task on his shoulders. He needs to build crucial partnerships in case India loses wickets upfront, continue good starts given by the preceding batsmen and also finish off the innings at times.

Therefore, apart from his extraordinary keeping skills, India would be banking on his role as a lower middle order batsman as well.

#7 Hardik Pandya

From being a lanky T20 exclusive player, who could slog and hit sixes and also bowl a few overs of seam in the middle, Hardik Pandya has developed himself into the dependable all rounder he is today.

He is seen as a serious threat by all oppositions today, after the insane 108 against Sri Lanka and the 93 against South Africa, hitting the bowlers on all sides of the park on both occasions. England would be aware that they shouldn't take Pandya lightly. His ability to bowl quick in the middle overs and maintain pressure on the opposition makes him a must for the Indian Test side.

Hardik Pandya

#8 Ravichandran Ashwin

Apart from being India's best bowler in the longer format of the game, Ashwin is also a very handy batsman who has a good technique and can build partnerships. He has 4 test centuries and 11 fifties, which speak volumes about his quality and caliber as a test batsman. He can do wonders for India, as he has been doing over the years, picking frequent 5 wicket hauls and also contributing with the bat.

Ravi Ashwin