"I don't think it will be the right comparison" - Aakash Chopra on whether Dhruv Jurel should play ahead of Sai Sudharsan in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Dhruv Jurel and Sai Sudharsan are not competing for the same spot for the first Test against England. He noted that while Jurel is more suited to bat at No. 5 or No. 6, Sudharsan is a top-order batter.

India will lock horns with England in a five-match Test series, with the first game starting in Leeds on Friday, June 20. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from Tests, the visitors' potential batting order has been debated extensively.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener was asked whether Jurel should be played ahead of Sudharsan in the first Test against England to avoid a debutant in an already relatively inexperienced batting order.

"I don't think it will be the right comparison because they are not auditioning for the same position. Dhruv Jurel is a No. 5 or No. 6 batter. You won't see him playing at No. 3. If Sai Sudharsan plays, he will be seen playing at No. 3," he responded.

Chopra reckoned that while Sudharsan might compete with Abhimanyu Easwaran for the No. 3 position, Jurel and Karun Nair might vie for the No. 6 spot.

"I think the choice will be between Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan. It seems like Sai Sudharsan is slightly ahead in that race. If Dhruv Jurel plays, he is in a contest with Karun Nair as to who will play at No. 6," he observed.

Dhruv Jurel has aggregated 202 runs at an average of 40.40 in four Tests. Sai Sudharsan, who was the Orange Cap winner in IPL 2025, is yet to make his Test debut.

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"Everyone has assumed that Shubman will not play at No. 3" - Aakash Chopra on choosing between Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair at No. 3 for ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Shubman Gill has batted at No. 3 in Tests lately. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra was asked about the choice between Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair as India's No. 3 for the first Test against England.

"Everyone has assumed that Shubman will not play at No. 3 but at No. 4, although Shubman hasn't said anything like that. I feel he will play at No. 4, but there is no guarantee. If Shubman Gill says he wants to play at No. 3 as he was playing there only, I feel Karun Nair will be better suited at No. 4," he replied.

While noting that Nair can bat at No. 4 if Shubman Gill sticks to his No. 3 position, the cricketer-turned-commentator added that Sudharsan will likely be ahead of the Vidarbha batter at No. 3.

"Then Karun Nair at No. 4, Rishabh Pant at No. 5, and you can play either Nitish Kumar Reddy or Dhruv Jurel at No. 6 because Sudharsan cannot play at that number. If we do man-to-man marking at No. 3 only, Sai Sudharsan might be slightly ahead of Karun Nair because his playing style gives that impression," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra opined that although Karun Nair scored a double hundred for India A against the England Lions at No. 3, he is more suited to bat at No. 4 or No. 5. However, the analyst added that the former Karnataka batter can be adjusted at No. 6, highlighting that India can field Ravindra Jadeja and four frontline seamers if they opt to go that route.