"I want Abhimanyu Easwaran to open the innings" - Former selectors pick India's squad for 2025 England tour [Exclusive]

Even as the business end of IPL 2025 approaches, there is significant buzz around India’s upcoming Test tour of England. If not the competitiveness of the high-octane series, but the impending squad, that will be without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin.

While Test cricket has been rendered poorer with the retirement of three greats in a span of five months, it also presents youngsters with more than one opportunity in front of them. Massive boots and captaincy to be filled, nonetheless.

Sportskeeda spoke to two former national selectors, both of whom advocated for bold moves, keeping not just the scoreline of the five-Test series but the bigger picture in mind.

After moving up to open the innings in 2019, Rohit Sharma became one of the most formidable openers in Test cricket, barring the recent dip in form. He was India’s highest run-getter on the last England tour, scoring 368 runs at 52.57, with the 127 at The Oval still talked about.

There won't be a like-for-like replacement anytime soon. As for captaincy, Jasprit Bumrah is the heir apparent. But it remains anyone's guess until it becomes official.

“I want Abhimanyu Easwaran to open the innings for India. He’s been around for so many years, he’s technically a very correct batter, he’s a busy player, he can rotate the strike, and he can also play some good shots. And in my opinion, you need an opening batter like that. Along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, we can have a solid left-right combination at the top.

"So the selectors and the team management need to trust him with that kind of responsibility for the team. I am sure he’s capable of doing well for India,” Saba Karim, who was in the senior men’s national selection committee from 2012 to 2016, said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.

India have handed the Test cap to five specialised batters since the start of 2022. The Bengal opener has scored more runs in domestic cricket across the last eight seasons than all of them, and those who are in the reckoning.

From 2017-18 to 2024-25: (Performances in only Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup considered)

Name	Innings	Runs	Average	50s	100s
Abhimanyu Easwaran	84	4456	61.04	14	17
Yashasvi Jaiswal	26	1717	74.65	2	8
Rajat Patidar	79	3228	43.62	21	6
Devdutt Padikkal	58	2330	42.36	14	5
Suryakumar Yadav	47	1695	37.67	9	3
Sarafaraz Khan	42	3160	95.76	4	13
Sai Sudharsan	31	1284	41.42	3	4
Ruturaj Gaikwad	55	2339	44.13	13	6

Former India off-spinner Sarandeep Singh, who was part of the committee from 2016 to 2020, urged his successors to maximise the red-hot form of Sai Sudharsan.

“Abhimanyu Easwaran should have played a couple of years back, when he was scoring a lot of runs. He hasn’t played much of late. If you were to ask me, I’d go Sai Sudharsan with Yashasvi Jaiswal. You can have Abhimanyu Easwaran in the 15. But if we are comparing him with Sai Sudharsan, Easwaran cannot bat anywhere other than as an opener,” he told Sportskeeda.

The Gujarat Titans batter is the current holder of the IPL 2025 Orange Cap with 638 runs at an average of 53.17 and a strike rate of 155.99. The Tamil Nadu lad also scored 213 as an opener versus Delhi in the latest Ranji Trophy.

However, having KL Rahul in the mix means it isn’t going to be a straightforward swap. He blunted the new ball with aplomb in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, much like in England in 2021 when he etched his name onto the Lord’s Honours Board with a sublime 129.

“While KL Rahul is ideal for the No. 4 spot, he did really well opening the batting in Australia. And we shouldn’t further tinker with his position. In that case, Sai Sudharsan can come in one-drop followed by Shubman Gill,” Sarandeep Singh, who was in charge of picking India’s 2019 World Cup squad, said.

It is worth noting that, while KL Rahul has batted at No. 4 in Tests just once before, Shubman Gill has never batted in that position. There are also genuine question marks over Gill’s prowess overseas, with his away numbers being a pale shadow of his talent. An average of 29.50 from 24 innings – it has plummeted further in recent years – became trendier than reports of him taking over the reins from Rohit Sharma.

Sarandeep Singh, however, backed the 25-year-old to go further up with the help of a long rope.

“The more he plays, the better he will become, and so will his away average. We know he’s one of the best players we have. It’s not like Yashavi Jaiswal or Sai Sudharsan would become bad players overnight if they don’t score runs in one series. Performances will go up and down, you might have one or two poor series – not everyone can maintain an average of 50 over 10 years,” he opined.

A left-field option of recalling veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane surfaced, especially after the 1-3 pummelling in Australia. To put things into perspective, Pujara has a superior average in away Tests since the start of 2022.

But Sarandeep Singh felt it would be going back and defeating the purpose of transitioning.

“You already have youngsters in your squad. Who would you leave out? You need to think whether you’re moving forward or going back. Shreyas Iyer has worked back into contention, Shubman Gill has become a mainstay. Everyone’s form wavers, but they are the future and they are going to drive Indian cricket forward. If you don’t give them an opportunity, when will they learn?

“Everyone will perform well in India, but an England tour doesn’t come every year. This is the time to try and test the youngsters. The selectors shouldn’t think about the series result, but rebuilding a team after the retirement of three greats. I am looking at it from a point of view of the coming 10 years,” he elaborated.

Saba Karim, who presided over a similar period after the retirement of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in 2012, also put rebooting over winning.

“India need to be bold at this stage and take some bold and positive steps and be more courageous in their team selection. As I said, if you’re looking to build a solid side that can help you win the World Test Championship in the upcoming cycle, you need not be adventurous but bold,” the former wicketkeeper-batter, who played 34 ODIs and one Test, stated.

Indian batters' performance by average in overseas Tests since the start of 2022:

Name	Innings	Runs	Average	Highest	50s	100s
Yashasvi Jaiswal	17	707	44.18	171	3	2
Rishabh Pant	18	750	44.11	146	3	2
Cheteshwar Pujara	12	450	40.90	102*	3	1
Shreyas Iyer	9	22	39.57	87	2	0
Ravindra Jadeja	12	408	37.09	104	2	1
Virat Kohli	25	806	35.04	121	3	2
Rohit Sharma	14	389	29.92	103	2	1
Ajinkya Rahane	8	214	26.75	89	2	0
KL Rahul	21	526	26.30	101	3	1
Shubman Gill	20	421	22.15	110	0	1

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"I want to have Shardul Thakur in my team" - Sarandeep Singh

Shardul Thakur stroked 51 off 109 balls in the 2023 WTC final versus Australia

One of the stories of last year was the rise and rise of Karun Nair. With the middle order robbed of Virat Kohli’s 15 years of experience, the 33-year-old has become a contender for that role. He has been picked for the preceding India A series. But he doesn’t make Saba Karim’s first 16.

“Karun can come in as a middle-order batter. But in whose place? I see you’ll have Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, and both these players have done reasonably well. Sarfaraz, in the home season, got a hundred. In Australia, he didn’t get a look-in.

“To have a secure environment, you need to build a core. And this is the time to build a side. Since we are heading into a new WTC cycle, one needs to be careful before making your 16. Because you need to invest a little bit to build a side,” the 57-year-old told Sportskeeda.

Sarandeep Singh went with Shreyas Iyer, whose last Test came against England at home in 2024, as a reserve batter over the triple centurion.

“If you talk about Karun Nair, he did really well this season. But my vote goes to Shreyas Iyer. Because he’s already playing international cricket, he’s scoring tons of runs in ODIs. So Iyer should get preference over Nair,” he said.

The middle order has become even more muddled with the poor form of Rishabh Pant. Sunil Gavaskar’s commentary on Pant’s dismissal in the Melbourne Test has reached a commercial high. Does promoting Dhruv Jurel as the first choice sound enticing?

“No, no, I will go with Rishabh Pant. He’s a match-winner, he’s got a phenomenal record in England and in overseas conditions. You have to back Rishabh Pant,” Saba Karim sounded firm.

“He scored runs in Australia, and he has a strong record in Tests. He is a match-winner, so there shouldn’t be any question marks over Rishabh Pant,” Sarandeep Singh echoed similar sentiments.

Another player who has thrown his hat in the ring, on the back of superlative performances in domestic cricket, is all-rounder Shardul Thakur. While Nitish Kumar Reddy was one of the few positives from the Australia sojourn, Sarandeep exhorted for the inclusion of the ‘Palghar Express’ too.

“In those conditions, you need a bowler who can swing the ball in addition to those with pace. Shardul also has that experience, and he did well in the Test matches when India last went to England. You can play three frontline quicks, along with Shardul and Nitish Reddy, who is also a handy bowler. Most importantly, they will strengthen the batting and, with Ravindra Jadeja, you will have three genuine all-rounders.

“If you want to play an extra batter, I think they’d go with Nitish Reddy ahead of Shardul. He did well in Australia, scored a hundred at MCG, got wickets. But I want to have Shardul Thakur in my team because he’s a genuine wicket-taker. Nitish Reddy can bowl an eight-over spell for you, but you can’t expect him for a breakthrough,” he explained to Sportskeeda.

Saba Karim, though, rules out Shardul Thakur’s return after a gap of 18 months.

“I don’t think so. Since you have Nitish Reddy, I don’t look at Shardul at this stage. Because one should also not forget that you can pick only 16. So you have to have that kind of composition comprising two batters, one extra spinner, at least two pace bowlers, in the reserves,” he stated.

The ex-general manager of cricket operations at BCCI suggested handing a debut to Arshdeep Singh, who took 13 wickets for Kent in the 2023 County Championship.

“Arshdeep Singh may not be a bad idea; he’s a left-armer who can swing the ball. Or maybe Khaleel, for that matter. Because right now, all of them are upfront seam bowlers. But if you can bring in a swing bowler, that can be quite helpful for India. They need to have some kind of variation in the side, and I think that is why they have taken Khaleel in India A,” he expressed.

Saba Karim further voiced concerns over the fitness of senior pacer Mohammad Shami. The 34-year-old has endured a lacklustre IPL 2025, where he has fallen out of favour after scalping only six wickets in nine games at an economy of 11.23.

“I do have my doubts. The selectors are not convinced that Mohammad Shami can last the entire series; they may not pick him. His fitness levels are under scrutiny. And whatever one has seen of him in the IPL, he doesn’t come across as someone who’s 100 percent fit. And Mohammad Shami has always been a very rhythmic bowler. And if there’s something that is troubling him because of his injury, then I don’t think it would be advisable for the selectors to pick him,” he explained.

Test series in SENA countries have always pitted Ravichandran Ashwin against his good friend Ravindra Jadeja, with the former even going public about the disappointment of not getting a single game on the 2021-22 England tour. With the ace offie’s departure, the selectors and team management would have one less headache.

Vidarbha left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey has recently gained interest in the BCCI corridors. The 22-year-old will travel with the India A squad, after creating Ranji Trophy history for the most wickets (69) in a single season. IPL, too, came calling as he famously sent back Virat Kohli yesterday.

“You have Kuldeep and Jadeja as your spinners, the latter being the No. 1 all-rounder for two years straight. Harsh Dubey is in the India A setup and, if he continues to perform well in domestic cricket, he can join the queue for whenever there’s another opening,” Sarandeep Singh concluded.

So India, without the conquerors of England, will travel to England for a new battle, a new WTC cycle, and a new dawn of Indian cricket.

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Saba Karim’s probable 16: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh/Khaleel Ahmed, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Devdutt Padikkal

Sarandeep Singh’s probable 16: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Abhimanyu Easwaran

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